Model Clay Dogs from Nineveh

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Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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Model Clay Dogs from Nineveh Download Full Size Image

These counterparts of real mastiffs were buried to guard a property from devils and demons. Ritual instructions for making and inscribing them survive on clay tablets. This pack was found beneath a palace doorway at Nineveh. Each is named after a quality required in guard dogs:

  • "Loud is his bark!" (black dog)
  • "Bitter of his foe!" (blue dog)
  • "Don't think, bite!" (white dog)
  • "Catcher of the enemy!" (red dog)
  • "Expeller of evil!" (white dog with red spots)

From the North Palace (Room S, door D) at Nineveh, Northern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Neo-Assyrian perid, c. 645 BCE.

The British Museum, London.

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APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, April 18). Model Clay Dogs from Nineveh. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4930/model-clay-dogs-from-nineveh/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Model Clay Dogs from Nineveh." World History Encyclopedia, April 18, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4930/model-clay-dogs-from-nineveh/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Model Clay Dogs from Nineveh." World History Encyclopedia, 18 Apr 2016, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4930/model-clay-dogs-from-nineveh/.

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