According to cuneiform tradition several different types of marks have been placed on both, humans and animals, in Mesopotamia as well as adjacent cultures. In the majority of cases these marks were either applied to slaves, alternatively to livestock in private hands, or to the so-called temple oblates and to animals of the holy flock, that was assigned to certain deities. Primarily focusing on sources of the first millennium BCE, this study is meant to detect in a first step the particular nature of these marks, which could vary significantly (from impermanent to permanent, e.g. hairstyles or tattoos). Then, in a further step, the signs’ eclectic meanings will be investigated in order to define legal tenors, cultic significations or even decorative conventions. [table “6” not found /]
Categories: PhD Research