Elam (Western Iran) was another place where Ibex (Bezoar) goat was "The Goat of Rain" (rain season started when Ibex goats began mating). Other parts of the world where we find the same link between Ibex (Bezoar) goats, rain season and fertility are Crete, Cyprus, parts of Anatolia, Levant, Arabia, Mesopotamia, parts of Central Asia (follow links to articles).
The climate in Elam was divided into dry season (May-Oct) and wet season (Nov-Apr).
Ibex (Bezoar) goat mating season starts at the end of Oct beginning of Nov, when Ibex males, which are normally solitary, gather to fight for females...You can read more about the mating habits of Ibex (Bezoar) goats in my article "Goat".
Ibex dominates the oldest religious images in Mesopotamia, which date to the time before the irrigation was invented. During that time, people depended exclusively on rain to water their fields. Hence the veneration of Ibexes who signalled the arrival of rain season...
But what about Maltese crosses?
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...
So, what does the Maltese cross mean?
ReplyDeleteI am not sure. I think it's just the marker for time...But I am sure it will become clear once we compare all the seals with this symbol...
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