Serpent Imagery On Ancient Near Eastern Pottery
Diana Krumholz McDonald
This dissertation investigates the appliqued serpent imagery found on pottery vessels in Mesopotamia and surrounding areas from approximately 3100 BC to the mid-second millennium BC.
Chapter One presents the widely varying patterns of serpent imagery in different cultures. The zoological and biological characteristics of snakes are considered relevant to their ubiquity in the art of the world.
Chapter Two examines serpent imagery as it appears on different media in Mesopotamia, including seals, chlorite vessels, clay artifacts and statues and other objects related to Gudea and his personal serpent deity, Ningizzida. Texts relating to snakes are also discussed.
Chapter Three is a descriptive catalog of seventy-six examples of primarily excavated pottery bearing the appliqued serpent motif. Forty entries are from Mesopotamia; the balance is comparative material from Palestine and Iran.
Chapter Four analyzes the catalog data: the entries are sorted in charts by vessel type, location, date, findspot, and iconographic association. The analysis reveals a pervasive use of the serpent motif in religious contexts with the implied meaning of regeneration and rejuvenation.
Chapter Five provides perspective on the rejuvenation and regeneration themes by drawing from medieval and later magico-medical use of the serpent in a preparation called theriac, or viper-wine. This "medical" use of snakes derives from the belief that in sloughing its skin, the snake actually rejuvenates itself, and that this property can be transferred to those who ingest the creature. Contextual and etymological evidence give credence to the belief that the vessels catalogued in this study may have been the earliest containers for theriac.
Chapter Six sums up the evidence presented and concludes that the serpent image on the vessels reflects an aspect of cultic and healing practices in Mesopotamia. In general, the benevolence of the serpent image is emphasized in the art and the evil capabilities of the reptile are represented more fully in the literature of the time.