Mesopotamian Gods and the Bull

Gods, Rituals, and the Moral Order

The functionalist “law” that religion sustains the moral order must be amended. As is demonstrated in this study, religion has this effect only as it is based on belief in powerful, active, conscious, morally-concerned gods. Contrary to Durkheim’s claims, participation in religious rituals per se has little independent impact on morality and none when done on behalf of gods conceived as unconsc...

Adam in Ancient Mesopotamian Traditions

Since the recovery and publication of texts from the Ancient Near East is a continuing endeavor, the materials already published need to be reexamined from time to time in the light of more recent information. The case in point for reexamination here is the Mesopotamian story of Adapa, which is noted for its parallel with the early chapters in Genesis as a reference to man's squandered opportun...

The Mesopotamian Soul of Western Culture

The worn-out phrase, “Already the ancient Greeks...,” involves attitudes and views that make an Assyriologist stir uneasily. Its basic message is that Western culture was born in ancient Greece. The little word “already” betrays, on the one hand, admiration of the achievements of the Greeks, and on the other hand disparagement of previous cultures, as if nothing worth mentioning had been accomp...

Brain Diseases in Mesopotamian Societies

In ancient Mesopotamia were not practiced neither autopsies nor dissections, so the internal organs of human body were known only from occasional inspections on wounds and injuries. The brain was considered as a part of the head and was not related to mental activity. However, Babylonian and Assyrian physicians were able to identify the symptoms of many diseases that affect this organ. We will ...

Mesopotamian Metrological Lists And Tables:Forgotten Sources