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This article has been published in: Ocula 23, Flowers of the soul: The symbolism of flowers in the religious imagination

author: Ludovica Bertolini (Sapienza Università di Roma, IT)

«Let them erect my flower bed!»: Plant elements in the Paleo-Babylonian Sumerian literature

language: italian

abstract: The purpose of this article is, on the one hand, to investigate how the vegetal imaginary is used, by the scribes, to define the "other”, in order to bring its inner meaning back to understandable forms. On the other hand, this work proposes an interpretation of the religious context which uses elements of flora, and human products derived from it, in the context of the cult practice connected to the couple, known from the Sumerian tradition, formed by the goddess Inanna and her husband Dumuzi.

citation information: Ludovica Bertolini, «Lasciate che erigano il mio letto fiorito!»: elementi vegetali nella letteratura sumerica paleo-babilonese, "Ocula", vol.21, n.23, pp.37-61, July 2020. DOI: 10.12977/ocula2020-27

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