7 stars of Scorpio

This is one of many Mesopotamian seals kept in Morgan library 

The official description of the seal is: "Man prodding ox with which he is plowing; before ox, plant--In sky, crescent, star, seven globes...The scene...may have a ritual significance; perhaps...it depicts a rural ritual, in this case connected with agriculture" 

O my god! 

That's it???

Let me see if I can decipher this image:

In two of my recent posts "Queen Puabi’s cylinder seal" and "Ploughing" I explained that before irrigation was invented, in Mesopotamia the ploughing and sowing was all done after the first rains. Which fell at the end of October, beginning of November. In Scorpio (the time when scorpions disappear, hide to escape the cold and wet of winter). Which is why on this seal we find scorpion positioned above the sowing plough...  

This seal dates from Neo-Assyrian period. Apparently: "The deep cutting conforms with that of such ninth or eighth century stones...and the seal may be of similar date".

Neo-Assyrians also did ploughing and sowing after the first rains, at the end of October beginning of November...In Scorpio...

Except now, scorpions were not cool any more. The stars were all the rage. Which is why around the same time when this seal was made, Hesiod declares: "When the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas, are rising, begin the harvest, and your ploughing when they are going to set"...

So the "seven globes" can only be Pleiades...They were rising in the evening, were visible in the night sky, and were setting in the morning around 800 BC at the end of October beginning of November...The time to plough and sow "the plant"... Grain...

This is the best bit...Did you notice what the seven orbs look like? Still ploughing in Scorpio, "When scorpions disappear, but seven stars in a shape of scorpion appear..."

Now what about the star? And the moon? 

The star is Sirius...

The same star that is placed above the plough on this seal

And on this seal

Do you see that it's always next to a crescent moon paining upward. I am beginning to believe, that this type of moon means night and winter...

Why?

During Neo-Assyrian period, Sirius was visible at night during Scorpio, t the end of October, beginning of November, at the beginning of winter... 

So the scene on the seal means: Plough when Sirius and Pleiades are visible at night. When the first rains fall. At the end of October, beginning of November. In Scorpio. When the crescent moon points upward and looks like a dish gathering rain water...

To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…then check the rest of the blog posts related to animal calendar markers I still didn't add to this page, and finally check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am 9 months behind now...