A32553

Oriental Institute - University of Chicago posted this image on their facebook page the other day. OIM A32553; Late Uruk period, 3350-3100 BC; Iran, Chogha Mish...

Their answer: "This artefact is a clay seal impression with a “master of animals” scene...First introduced during the Uruk period, this motif undoubtedly reflects increasing concern with managing the production of animals in the new urban economies."

My answer: "Master of animals is modern invention, created by archaeologists who couldn't understand what all these images of people and animals meant". There was never any "Master of the animals" in any of the cultures of the ancient world...

This seal depicts a composite beast, with one body and two heads: ibex head looking left and bull head looking right. Or bull looking right standing behind ibex looking left. 

The "human" figure connects the head of the bull (to his left) with the head of the ibex (to his right)

What does this mean? The climate in this part of Iran (Khuzestan) is divided into dry season (May-Oct, summer-autumn) and wet season (Nov-Apr, winter-spring). 

Bull marks the beginning of summer. Is the symbol of summer. Ibex marks beginning of winter. Is the symbol of winter...So from Bull (left) to Ibex (right) = dry season...

I talked about the reason for the animal symbols of the seasons in my post "Symbols of the seasons"...

The "human" figure is either the old representation of the sun god, who dominates the dry season, or a representation of a man who has to "fight" the dry season to survive...I would say sun god before the horned hats became fashionable...