Ancient Near Eastern Art: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v ...

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For ancient man the world was full tures were represented; among them were
of supernatural spirits, beneficent and the bull-man, the human-headed bull,
malevolent, who had to be constantly and the lion-headed eagle, Imdugud. But
appeased or repelled. By the third millen- during the Akkadian dynasty (2334-2154
nium B.C. a few of these spirits had been B.C.) a rich variety of these fabulous crearepresented
in tangible forms that, al- tures were placed into the artistic repertory.
though monstrous, were probably less On the illustrated seal (fig. 30) is carved
frightening than previously, when their the snake god, whose form is human
form was left solely to a believer's imagi- above and reptilian below; he is apnation.
The specific identity of most of proached from front and behind by minor
these creatures is not known because deities with scorpions or snakes for hands
there is so little coincidence of textual and feet. One of these divinities is winged,
description and visual representation. while the other has felines emerging wing-
But often their function is suggested by like from its back. The domain of the
their appearance or from the context in snake god was the underworld, and bewhich
they are depicted.
cause he is often associated with grow-
When represented in art, these super- ing vegetation or, as here, with scorpions
natural creatures were always made up and felines and the gatepost of Inanna
of naturally occurring forms combined (the Sumerian goddess of love and war),
in an unnatural manner. Wings were he is thought to be a fertility deity, peroften
used to transform a real creature haps of Iranian inspiration.
into a fabulous one, as was the mixing of Monstrous images were often borhuman
and animal features (see fig. 64). rowed from other cultures, either with or
Until the last half of the third millen- withoutheir original identity. The image
nium B.C. only a few such mixed crea- of the sphinx-a creature with a lion's
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