Wall painting from a house in Çatalhöyük (7500-6500 BC) showing a fruit tree and ibexes/wild goats...From "Flora Unveiled: The Discovery and Denial of Sex in Plants" by Lincoln Taiz, Lee Taiz
Tree of life with ibexes, goats of rain? Most definitely...Why goats of rain?
Because Bezoar Ibex goat which live in the Çatalhöyük area, start their mating season in Oct/Nov. Their mating season is characterised by vicious male goat fights. The head banging can be heard from miles away, so it is difficult to miss...
And in Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Anatolia, Middle East, Iran, Central Asia, this is when the rains arrive after hot dry summer and autumn...The rains that are source of life, arrive when Ibexes start mating...Hence goat of rain and tree of life...Çatalhöyük climate chart...
Goat of rain from Gobekli Tepe (9500-8000BC)..With zig zag line symbolizing flowing water...
In the area of Gobekli Tepe, the rains also arrive when ibex goats start mating, Oct/Nov...
Decorated stone vessel from Ayanlar Hoyuk (9000BC) with, again, goat of rain and zig zag lines...
Ayanlar Hoyuk (Urfa) climate chart...
Again the rains arrive when Ibex, goat of rain starts mating...
And so "The Goat of Rain"...
Eastern Mediterranean
Climate Crete
Articles that talk about the Goat of Rain in Eastern Mediterranean: "Pan, Goat of rain", "Goat riding thundergod", "Cornucopia", "Sanctuary rhyton", "Theseus ring"...
Middle East
Articles that talk about the Goat of Rain in Iraq: "A goat in a tree", "Scarlet ware goat", "Relief from Dur Sharrukin"...
Iran
Articles that talk about the Goat of Rain in Iran: "Anahita", "A vessel from Tepe Hissar", "Goat petroglyphs from Iran", "Dancing goatmen from Luristan"...
Central Asia
Predating most agriculture. I suspect these calendar markers are much older
ReplyDelete