Whips and Boats

Whips were tools used for approaching large animals and thus they were part of the equipment of individuals engaged in the catching of local large preys, who can be understood as hunters. However, the environment plays a key-role in the understanding of this professional figure, as it determined the range of other animals they could catch and, accordingly, a basic differentiation between land hunters and fishermen/hunters, the latters specifically tied to the use of boats. Sofar, no specific Sumerian words have been recognized as defining the figure of the hunter; this paper proposes an interpretation as (land) hunter of the Sumerian title usan3/usan5-du3, a profession usually understood as bird-catcher or fowler. Despite it is clear that in South Mesopotamia the main prey was in any case fowl, the professional title hints to the use of whips, therefore to the equipment suitable for catching large preys, equids and ungulates, when possible or required. On the other side, this paper suggests that individuals equipped for catching large preys in wet environments are mostly hidden among the fishermen; texts concerning boat transport can however offer some hints on their presence among the individuals having some acquaintance with boats

Ancient history · Archaeology · Environmental ethics · Geography · Interpretation (philosophy) · Linguistics · Mesopotamia · Sumerian · Ancient Near East History · History · Linguistics and language evolution · Philosophy

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