In a message dated 8-22-1999 2:05:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> Feudal commendation, Hindu greeting, and Sumerian prayers are all
> fascinating leads. The only Sumerian figures I know are the ones from Tell
> Asmar, who clasp their hands across each other, either empty or around a
> small beaker. Is this the gesture you meant?
>
Yes, this is the gesture. The votive figures are supposed to have been placed
in shrines, facing the figure of the god or goddess. The hand gesture would
either show respect for the deity or be a gesture of prayer, which amounts to
the same thing. They're male figures, and the usual assumption is that they
represent heads of families. If we assume that the Sumerian deities were
jealous (rather like the God of the OT), it makes sense for a worshipper to
leave a substitute for himself--a votive figure--that could pray to the god
at all times, leaving the living worshipper free to go about his business.
The aim would be to avoid offending the god, who apparently needed lots of
visible signs of worship. Later votive figures, from Cyprus and other parts
of the Mediterranean world, often hold objects, which are assumed to be gifts
for the god.
Some of the Sumerian gestures, like baring the right shoulder as a sign of
respect, show up in India because of early (Bronze Age) trade between India
and Mesopotamia.
pat sloane
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