Text/Zio
To understand the ancient Near Eastern society, we must not only pay attention to the survival and reproduction of human beings, but also examine the local species, which are closely related to the economy, culture, religion and politics of human society. Compared with today, the natural environment and animal species of ancient Mesopotamia have varied, and the latter is briefly introduced below.
Like many other early human civilizations, the earliest domesticated animals in the Two Rivers Basin were dogs, dating back to about 11,000 BC, which assisted humans in hunting other wild animals, and many carvings, drawings, and amulets have the image of dogs with collars, and dogs are also regarded as protectors, healers, and companions of the gods.
Clay tablet of man and dog image, excavated from Sippar, https://www.ancient.eu/image/3160/man--dog-plaque-sippar/
This was followed by goats and sheep, especially the latter, which were domesticated around the 10,000-8,000s BC. They provided vital wool, sheep skin, lamb, goat's milk and manure as fertilizer, and also served as sacrifices in ceremonies. In the ancient texts of the Two Rivers Valley, sheep appeared very frequently, and there were hundreds of words calling different types of sheep, which proved the importance of sheep to the economy of the time. Also used as a food source were cattle, which were domesticated slightly later than sheep. Despite the use of cattle as a source of food and leather, the Mesopotamians discovered the usefulness of milk in drinking and making dairy products until 4000 BC. Cattle are also used to pull plows, trailers and tugboats and are an important source of power for agricultural production. Before the invention of the oxbow, ropes were tied to the horns of cattle to control direction, and since then more convenient driving methods have made it possible for multiple cattle to pull plows and carry them together. Castration of cattle is also found in various literatures and is also used as a sacrifice.
The bull's head harp excavated from the tomb of the king of your is http://www.theslideprojector.com/art3/art3lecturepresentationssummer/art3l
Another animal that played an important role in the economy, especially in trade and transportation, was the donkey, which was domesticated in North Africa around 6000 to 4000 BC. Compared with cattle, donkeys have strong endurance, consume less hay, are fast, and are used to pull goods, carry goods, ride, etc., and are almost the only suitable livestock for long-distance trade, especially in hilly and mountainous areas. Before horses were introduced to West Asia, donkeys were also used to pull chariots, as reflected in some reliefs of the time.
Horses were domesticated in the steppes of southern Russia between 5000 and 4000 BC, and at first appeared to be used only as meat, but later people learned to ride horses (saddles have not yet been invented). For the Sumerian states, the donkey was still the preferred livestock, but in the Assyrians, the role of the horse was fully utilized, and in 1500 BC, the horse-drawn chariot appeared, after which the Assyrians formed cavalry and chariot troops, which greatly strengthened their military strength and played an important role in the expansion of Assyria.
Assyrian cavalry, https://www.thoughtco.com/where-is-mesopotamia-195043
Among domestic animals, camels were used at the latest, around 2000 to 1000 BC, mainly as pack animals. Relatively small domestic animals include herons and pelicans, which can help with fishing, and people even catch birds, turtles, and fish for breeding to provide meat and eggs.
In addition to domesticated animals, many wild animals also appeared in the ancient Two Rivers Valley, they generally lived in rivers, jungles or deserts, including lions, leopards, hyenas, bison, wild boar, deer, gazelles, ostriches, crows, vultures, eagles, ducks, geese, white storks, quails and so on. Some herbivores are also food sources, such as gazelles, while predators are on the one hand representatives of danger, the king has the obligation to protect his subjects from harm, on the other hand is also a symbol of strength and power, especially the lion, as early as the Uruk period with the bull appeared in the image of the ruler's power, especially in the Assyrian period, not only the entrance to the palace temple and other entrances have lion carvings guarded, the king will also regularly hunt lions to show their strength.