The Merdītu-Offerings: Animal Sacrifice in First-Millennium Babylonian Religious Contexts

Some Late Babylonian texts containing evidence on temple ceremonies refer to a sacrificial offering called merdītu, which was performed on special occasions in the sanctuaries of Uruk and Babylon. The merdītu was a libation of sorts poured directly onto the decapitated head of a sheep and onto the h...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Da Riva, Rocío 1972- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: University of Chicago Press 2022
In: Near Eastern archaeology
Year: 2022, Volume: 85, Issue: 4, Pages: 280-287
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Sacrifice (Religion) / Mesopotamia / Uruk / Babylon / Blood / Head / Sheep / Bull / Heart / Cult
IxTheo Classification:BC Ancient Orient; religion
HB Old Testament
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Some Late Babylonian texts containing evidence on temple ceremonies refer to a sacrificial offering called merdītu, which was performed on special occasions in the sanctuaries of Uruk and Babylon. The merdītu was a libation of sorts poured directly onto the decapitated head of a sheep and onto the heart extracted from an ox or bull. Although the texts are not very informative, they contain some interesting data on the internal structure of the temples, the ritualization of space, and on the cultic performers involved in the ceremonies.
ISSN:2325-5404
Contains:Enthalten in: Near Eastern archaeology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1086/721882