Animals and their Relation to Gods, Humans and Things in the Ancient World

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XII

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Raija Mattila, Sanae Ito, Sebastian Fink

   Pages 1-8

3. Keynotes

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9

      PDF

   2. Human-Animal Studies

      • Gabriela Kompatscher

      Pages 11-22

   3. Reflections on the Pivotal Role of Animals in Early Mesopotamia

      • Gebhard Selz

      Pages 23-56

4. Taxonomies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 57-57

      PDF

   2. Taxonomy and Medicine

      • Vérène Chalendar

      Pages 59-78

   3. Categorization and Hierarchy

      • Ilan Peled

      Pages 79-93

   4. From Ape to Zebra

      • Scott Noegel

      Pages 95-133

5. Literature

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 135-135

      PDF

   2. Holy Cow!

      • Judith Pfitzner

      Pages 137-173

   3. Animals in the Sumerian Disputation Poems

      • Catherine Mittermayer

      Pages 175-186

   4. Gilgameš and Enkidu

      • Simonetta Ponchia

      Pages 187-210

   5. Anthropomorphism and the Aesopic Animal Fables

      • Tua Korhonen

      Pages 211-231

6. Art

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 233-233

      PDF

   2. Animal Friezes in “Orientalizing” Greek Art

      • Ann C. Gunter

      Pages 235-248

   3. On Men, Animals, and Supernatural Beings in Ancient Maya Iconography

      • Harri Kettunen

      Pages 249-300

7. Religion

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 301-301

      PDF

   2. Creation of Animals in Sumerian Mythology

      • Peeter Espak

      Pages 303-311

   3. Animals and Demons

      • Joonas Hirvonen

      Pages 313-343

While Human-Animal Studies is a rapidly growing field in modern history, studies on this topic that focus on the Ancient World are few. The present volume aims at closing this gap. It investigates the relation between humans, animals, gods, and things with a special focus on the structure of these categories. An improved understanding of the ancient categories themselves is a precondition for any investigation into the relation between them. The focus of the volume lies on the Ancient Near East, but it also provides studies on Ancient Greece, Asia Minor, Mesoamerica, the Far East, and Arabia.

• Human-Animals Studies
• Ancient Near East
• Animals
• Categories
• Humans

• Helsinki, Finland

  Raija Mattila, Sebastian Fink

• Leiden, The Netherlands

  Sanae Ito

Dr. Raija Mattila is Docent of Assyriology, University of Helsinki, Finland, and Director of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East, Beirut, Lebanon.
Dr. Sanae Ito is a historian and Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Dr. Sebastian Fink is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence “Changes in Sacred Texts and Traditions”.

Policies and ethics