mul uz 3,mul d Gula,and the Early History of Mesopotamian Constellations

Abstract

This article is devoted to cuneiform sources shedding light on history of Mesopotamian constellations ^muluz₃ (“The Goat”) located in the area of modern Lyra, ^{mul d}Gula, a goddess connected with ^muluz₃, and ^mulur.gi₇ (“The Dog”) located in Hercules. In the eyes of ancient Mesopotamians, these constellations were bound by complex relationships that were changing in course of time. Gula was the goddess of the Goat constellation, and the Dog was a sacred animal of Gula. In the Neo-Assyrian period, Gula’s anthropomorphic image was considered to be a figure of the constellation ^muluz₃, while figures of other constellations with animal names always corresponded to their names. It is shown in the article that originally (at the end of the third and the beginning of the second millennium b.c.) there were only two constellations (^muluz₃ and ^mulur.gi₇) out of three mentioned above singled out in the Mesopotamian sky. The goddess Gula became associated with the constellation ^muluz₃ only in the second half of the second millennium b.c.