This is an addendum to: Unicorn on, young bull, is Indus Script hypertext; signifies kundār, 'turner, lapidary, goldsmith'
--Goldsmith, lapidary signified by a oung bull with spoked wheel kunda 'lathe', kundār, 'turner, lapidary, goldsmith'http://tinyurl.com/y4p2t7lp
This monograph challenges and counters the conclusions of the erroneous identification of 'unicorn' on Indus Script inscriptions 1) of Asko Parpola arrived at in 2018 and 2011 that it is probably originally the humpless bull of Western Asia and later adapted as nilgai antelope; and 2) of Jonathan Mark Kenoyer (2013) that the 'unicorn' signifies an antelope.
I submit that 'unicorn' is an orthographic signifier of a young bull, identified in genetic studies as bos primigenius.
In 2018, Asko Parpola concluded that the aurochs was a glorification of the goddess of war. In 2011, Asko Parpola concluded that the humpless wild cow called aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) or the humpless taurine cow (Bos taurus) was adopted from Western Asia, stood for male creative power, and that its cult purported to secure rain and fertility for purposes of agriculture and animal husbandry and was later “iconographic fusion of the Mesopotamian aurochs (not present in South Asia) with the local nilgay or ‘blue bull’…transformed in the Indus Valley into an image of the blue bull, the nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus)...”
Asko Parpola’s two conclusions made in 2018 and 2011
Asko Parpola’s conclusion in 2018: This paper complements an earlier more extensive study of the Harappan glyptic motif of ‘unicorn’ bull by considering a previously unnoticed Mesopotamian parallel and its implications for our understanding of the Harappan and later Indian religion. Conclusions: The ‘unicorn’ bull motif together with its religious symbolism and ritual use in the victory parade to gratify the goddess of war and fertility was adopted by the Indus people from Mesopotamia in Late Early Dynastic / Early Akkadian times. A minor modification was the symbolic and iconographic fusion of the Mesopotamian aurochs (not present in South Asia) with the local nilgay or ‘blue bull’. From the Harappans this cultic package was adopted into the subsequent Vedic and Hindu religions; in Hinduism it has survived until our times.
Asko Parpola’s conclusion in 2011: The most frequently occurring iconographic motif of the Indus seals, with thousands of occurrences, is a unicorn bull, a male bovine animal with a single horn. Its exact zoological identity is still controversial, but while some scholars consider it to be a purely fabulous beast, perhaps a conflation of two or more real species, many authorities consider it to represent either the humpless wild cow called aurochs or urus (Bos primigenius) or the humpless taurine cow (Bos taurus). The religious meaning of the Harappan unicorn has remained unclear as well. The present study tries to solve this problem by considering both Eurasian unicorn myths and those which are particular to South Asia, as well as their historical evolution and context. The evidence strongly suggests that the Harappan unicorn was an integral part of this unicorn mythology, that it stood for male creative power, and that its cult purported to secure rain and fertility for purposes of agriculture and animal husbandry. The Harappan unicorn was probably originally the humpless bull of Western Asia, and then transformed in the Indus Valley into an image of the blue bull, the nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus)..
This monograph counters the two conclusions of Asko Parpola arrived at in 2018 and 2011 about the identity of ‘unicorn’ bull on Indus Script Corpora. The ‘uniconr’ bull was NOT a nilgai antelope or blue bull (boselaphus tragocamelus); the ‘unicorn’ bull was NOT an adaptation of transformed in the Indus Valley into an image of the blue bull, the nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus). Asko Parpola’s conclusions are based on an erroneous basis that Mesopotamian aurochs was NOT present in South Asia. This assumption has been effectively countered by archaeo-zoological studies. Zebu (Bos primigenius indicus) are descended from Indian aurochs (stylized as unicorns)
https://tinyurl.com/yc4dj5gz “aurochs was variously classified as Bos primigenius, Bos taurus, or, in old sources, Bos urus. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature confirmed Bos primigenius for the aurochs...The oldest aurochs remains have been dated to about 2 million years ago, in India. The Indian subspecies was the first to appear. During the Pleistocene, the species migrated west into the Middle East (western Asia), as well as to the east. They reached Europe about 270,000 years ago. (van Vuure, Cis (2005). Retracing the Aurochs – History, Morphology and Ecology of an extinct wild Ox. ) The South Asian domestic cattle, or zebu, descended from Indian aurochs at the edge of the Thar Desert; the zebu is resistant to drought. Domestic yak, gayal, and Bali cattle do not descend from aurochs. The first complete mitochondrial genome (16,338 base pairs) DNA sequence analysis of Bos primigenius from an archaeologically verified and exceptionally well preserved aurochs bone sample was published in 2010. (Edwards, C.J.; Magee, D.A.; Park, S.D.E.; McGettigan, P.A.; Lohan, A.J.; et al. (2010).” A detailed genetic-archaeo-zoological study had appeared in 2010 in PLoS One, presenting a complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a Mesolithic wild aurochs (bos primigenius). The study noted: “Recent developments in DNA sequencing technologies, however, are affording new opportunities for the examination of genetic material retrieved from extinct species, providing new insight into their evolutionary history. Here we present DNA sequence analysis of the first complete mitochondrial genome (16,338 base pairs) from an archaeologically-verified and exceptionally-well preserved aurochs bone sample.” The conclusions of the study were: “For all nucleotide positions where both Sanger and Illumina Genome Analyzer sequencing methods gave high-confidence calls, no discrepancies were observed. Sequence analysis reveals evidence of heteroplasmy in this sample and places this mitochondrial genome sequence securely within a previously identified aurochsen haplogroup (haplogroup P), thus providing novel insights into pre-domestic patterns of variation. The high proportion of authentic, endogenous aurochs DNA preserved in this sample bodes well for future efforts to determine the complete genome sequence of a wild ancestor of domestic cattle… Archaeological evidence shows that domestication of this formidable animal occurred independently in the Near East and the Indian subcontinent between 10,000–8,000 years ago, giving rise to the two major domestic taxa observed today — humpless Bos taurus (taurine) and humped Bos indicus (zebu), respectively. This is confirmed by genetic analyses of matrilineal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, which reveal a marked differentiation between modern B. taurus and B. indicus haplotypes, demonstrating their derivation from two geographically- and genetically-divergent wild populations ”
PLoS One. 2010; 5(2): e9255.
Published online 2010 Feb 17.
A Complete Mitochondrial Genome Sequence from a Mesolithic Wild Aurochs (Bos primigenius)
Ceiridwen J. Edwards,# 1 , ¤a David A. Magee,# 2 Stephen D. E. Park,# 2Paul A. McGettigan, 2 Amanda J. Lohan, 3 Alison Murphy, 3 Emma K. Finlay, 1Beth Shapiro, 4 , ¤b Andrew T. Chamberlain, 5 Martin B. Richards, 6Daniel G. Bradley, 1 Brendan J. Loftus, 3 and David E. MacHugh 2 , 3 , *
See: Identity and decipherment of 'unicorn' on Indus Script Corpora as a one-horned young bull, to signify workshop of a goldsmith, lapidary (turner, engraver). http://tinyurl.com/y2uekds6
Walking with the Unicorn is the title of a Jonathan Mark Kenoyer felicitation volume published on October 16, 2018. The volume includes contributions by Gregg Jamison (fn.1) and Asko Parpola (fn.2), related to the Unicorn on Indus Script inscriptions. Gregg Jamison suggests that the evidenceof unicorn seal production suggests a decentralized form of socioolitical organization proposed by Kenoyer and supported by other forms of material culture throughout the Indus.
·
For views which differ from Asko Parpola's arguments, on the identity and origin of the 'unicorn', see an article by JM Kenoyer (fn.3), Iconography of the Indus Unicorn: Origins and Legacy. This comprehensive article of JM Kenoyer examines the figure of the unicorn in different historical contexts including the Greeks, Mesopotamians and other West Asians, and local Indian mythological and actual creatures to arrive at the author's startling conclusion, for which it can be said, there have been other supporters and which, at the very least, should cause those who may disagree with Dr. Parpola's thesis, to reflect on the antelope-characteristics of the so-called unicorn.
Notes:
1. Gregg Jamison, 2018, The Organization of Indus Unicorn Seal Production. A Multi-faceted Investigation of Technology, Skill, and Style, in: Dennys Frenez, Gregg Jamison, Randall Law, Massimo Vidale and Richard Meadow (eds.), Walking with the Unicorn. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer Felicitation Volume. Oxford: Archaeopress. http://tinyurl.com/y43qvacr
2. Parpola, Asko, 2018. Unicorn Bull and Victory Parade. Pp. 435-444 in: Dennys Frenez, Gregg Jamison, Randall Law, Massimo Vidale and Richard Meadow (eds.), Walking with the Unicorn. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer Felicitation Volume. Oxford: Archaeopress
http://tinyurl.com/yb695goq
3. https://www.harappa.com/content/iconography-indus-unicorn-origins-and-legacy
3. https://www.harappa.com/content/iconography-indus-unicorn-origins-and-legacy
https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Kenoyer2013%20Indus%20Unicorns-1.pdf An article by JM Kenoyer was originally published as Chapter 6 in Connections and Complexity, New Approaches to the Archaeology of South Asia, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek, California, 2013.
4. Asko Parpola's 2011 article: https://www.harappa.com/content/harappan-unicorn-eurasian-and-south-asian-perspectives
Originally published in Linguistics, Archaeology and the Human Past, Edited by Toashiki Osada and Hitoshi Endo, Indus Project, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan, 2011, pp. 125-188. Parpola_A_2011_unicorn (1).pdf https://www.harappa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Parpola_A_2011_unicorn%20%281%29.pdf
In the variant orthographic representations of the young bul, there are two examples which show the young bull with two horns, thus justifying the claim that the one-horn shown on the young bull in thousands of Indus Script inscriptions is an orthographic style of profiling the image by the Indus scribe. The intent of showing only one horn is to signify the underlying rebus reading to reinforce the semantics of the konda 'young bull' rebus kondar 'turner, engraver'; Hieroglyph: kōḍ 'horn' Rebus: kōḍ 'place where artisans work, workshop' The workshop has a furnace; the turner is a metalworker working with a furnace: kō̃da कोँद । कुलालादिकन्दुः f. a kiln; a potter's kiln (Rām. 1446; H. xi, 11); a brick-kiln (Śiv. 1033); a lime-kiln. -bal -बल् । कुलालादिकन्दुस्थानम् m. the place where a kiln is erected, a brick or potter's kiln (Gr.Gr. 165). --khasüñü --खस॑ञू॒ । कुलालादिकन्दुयथावद्भावः f.inf. a kiln to arise; met. to become like such a kiln (which contains no imperfectly baked articles, but only well-made perfectly baked ones), hence, a collection of good ('pucka') articles or qualities to exist. Cf. Śiv. 1033, where the causal form of the verb is used. (Kashmiri) কুঁদন, কোঁদন [ kun̐dana, kōn̐dana ] n act of turning (a thing) on a lathe; act of carving (Bengali) कातारी or कांतारी (p. 154) [ kātārī or kāntārī ] m (कातणें ) A turner.(Marathi)Similarly, the pannier on the shoulder also is read rebus as a semantic determinative: Hieroglyph: khōṇḍī 'pannier sack' खोंडी (p. 216) [ khōṇḍī ] f An outspread shovelform sack (as formed temporarily out of a कांबळा , to hold or fend off grain, chaff &c.) खोंडा 'cowl' or 'pannier'खोंडा 'cowl' or 'pannier'). खोंड [ khōṇḍa ] m A young bull, a bullcalf.(Marathi) खोंडरूं [ khōṇḍarūṃ ] n A contemptuous form of खोंडा in the sense of कांबळा -cowl.खोंडा [ khōṇḍ] m A कांबळा
of which one end is formed into a cowl or hood(Marathi) Rebus: खोदकाम [ khōdakāma ] n Sculpture; carved work or work for the carver. खोदगिरी [ khōdagirī ] f Sculpture, carving, engraving: also sculptured or carved work.खोदणें [ khōdaṇēṃ ] v c & i (खोदणें Dug. 2 Engraved, carved, sculptured.
That a metals turner is engaged in metal alloying is evident from the gloss: खोट [ khōṭa ] f A mass of metal (unwrought or of old metal melted down); an ingot or wedge. Hence 2 A lump or solid bit (as of phlegm, gore, curds, inspissated milk); any concretion or clot.
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Field Symbol Figures 8, 9
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Field Symbol Figures 8, 9Image may be NSFW.
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Figure 15.4. Tell al Ubaid, Temple of Ninhursag. Copper bull sculpture from the frieze. Early Dynastic period (ca. 2600 b.c.e.) (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
The sculpture signifies: dhangar 'bull' rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'. (Note: While the grown up bull or ox is called rebus: dhangar the young bullcalf is called కోడియ Same as కోడె kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bullcalf. కోడెదూడ. A young bull. కాడిమరపదగినదూడ. Plumpness, prime. తరుణము. జోడుకోడయలు a pair of bullocks. కోడె adj. Young. కోడెత్రాచు a young snake, one in its prime. "కోడెనాగముం బలుగుల రేడుతన్ని కొని పోవుతెరంగు"రామా. vi. కోడెకాడు kōḍe-kāḍu. n. A young man. పడుచువాడు. A lover విటుడు.కారుకోడె kārukōḍe kāru-kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bull in its prime.. The one-horned young bull, thus is a signfier of this orthographic distinction between a grown-up bull and a young bull calf. Te. kōḍiya, kōḍe young bull; adj. male (e.g. kōḍe dūḍa bull calf), young, youthful; kōḍekã̄ḍu a young man. Kol. (Haig) kōḍē bull. Nk. khoṛe male calf. Konḍa kōḍi cow; kōṛe young bullock. Pe. kōḍi cow. Manḍ. kūḍi id.
The sculpture signifies: dhangar 'bull' rebus: dhangar 'blacksmith'. (Note: While the grown up bull or ox is called rebus: dhangar the young bullcalf is called కోడియ Same as కోడె kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bullcalf. కోడెదూడ. A young bull. కాడిమరపదగినదూడ. Plumpness, prime. తరుణము. జోడుకోడయలు a pair of bullocks. కోడె adj. Young. కోడెత్రాచు a young snake, one in its prime. "కోడెనాగముం బలుగుల రేడుతన్ని కొని పోవుతెరంగు"రామా. vi. కోడెకాడు kōḍe-kāḍu. n. A young man. పడుచువాడు. A lover విటుడు.కారుకోడె kārukōḍe kāru-kōḍe. [Tel.] n. A bull in its prime.. The one-horned young bull, thus is a signfier of this orthographic distinction between a grown-up bull and a young bull calf. Te. kōḍiya, kōḍe young bull; adj. male (e.g. kōḍe dūḍa bull calf), young, youthful; kōḍekã̄ḍu a young man. Kol. (Haig) kōḍē bull. Nk. khoṛe male calf. Konḍa kōḍi cow; kōṛe young bullock. Pe. kōḍi cow. Manḍ. kūḍi id.
Kui kōḍi id., ox. Kuwi (F.) kōdi cow; (S.) kajja kōḍi bull; (Su. P.) kōḍi cow.(DEDR 2199) cf. G. khũṭṛɔ m. ʻ entire bull used for agriculture but not for breeding ʼ, (Kathiawar) khũṭ m. ʻ Brahmani bull ʼ. (CDIAL 3899) खोंड khōṇḍa m A young bull, a bullcalf. 2 A variety of जोंधळा .(Marathi)
Bos primigenius are signified on ANE cylinder seals, artefacts at Tell Hariri (Mari), Temple of Ninhurag Tell al Ubaid and on Indus Script hypertexts.
On Indus Script hypertexts, three forms of bulls are signified:
1. Bos primigenius (unicorns as young bulls with one horn): khōṇḍa m A young bull, a bullcalf. rebus: kunda, 'one of कुबेर's nine treasures', kundaṇa 'fine gold'
2. Bos primigenius Indicus (zebu): पोळ [pōḷa], 'zebu, dewlap' rebus: पोळ [pōḷa], 'magnetite, ferrite ore''
3. Bos primigenius taurus (old bull or oax): ḍhangra 'bull'. Rebus: ḍhangar 'blacksmith'. barad, balad, 'ox' rebus: bharata 'metal alloy' (5 copper, 4 zinc and 1 tin).
One-horned young bull is NOT a mythical species said to be 'unicorn' but in the genre of Inian aurochs (Bos primigenius).
खोंड (p. 122) khōṇḍa m A young bull, a bullcalf. 2 A variety of जोंधळा. जोंधळा (p. 187) jōndhaḷā m A cereal plant or its grain, Holcus sorghum. Eight varieties are reckoned, viz. उता- वळी, निळवा, शाळू, रातडी, पिवळा जोंधळा, खुंडी, काळबोंडी जोंधळा, दूध मोगरा. There are however many others as केळी, अरगडी, डुकरी, बेंदरी, मडगूप &c.कोंद kōnda 'young bull' PLUS āre potter's wheel (Gondi) yield the combined expression kundār 'turner, lapidary who works with the lathe'..He also works with fine gold: Ta. kuntaṉam interspace for setting gems in a jewel; fine gold (< Te.). Ka. kundaṇa setting a precious stone in fine gold; fine gold; kundana fine gold. Tu. kundaṇa pure gold. Te. kundanamu fine gold used in very thin foils in setting precious stones; setting precious stones with fine gold. (DEDR 1725). This artisan's professional competence is semantically reinforced by a part of the standard device normally shown in front of the young bull; this part is kunda 'lathe'. Rebus 2: - बल्।कुलालादिकन्दुस्थानम् m. the place where a kiln is erected, a brick or potter's kiln (Gr.Gr. 165).
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Cups, depicting a domestic bull, found in the royal tomb of Vaphio, Sparta, late Minoan I, c.1500 BCE (gold) (Ajmone-Marsan, P.; Garcia, J.F.; Lenstra, J.A. (2010). "On the Origin of Cattle: How Aurochs Became Cattle and Colonized the World". Evolutionary Anthropology. 19(4): 148–157) One of the bulls throws one hunter on the ground while attacking the second with its horns. The cup despite the older perception of being Minoan seems to be Mycenaean. (Davis, E.N. (1974). "The Vapheio Cups: One Minoan and One Mycenean?". The Art Bulletin. 56 (4): 472–487. .(De Grummond, W.W. (1980). "Hands and Tails on the Vapheio Cups". American Journal of Archaeology. 84(3): 335–337.) The Hebrew Bible contains numerous references to the untameable strength of re'em, translated as "bullock" or "wild-ox" in Jewish translations and translated rather poorly in the King James Version as "unicorn", but recognised from the last century by Hebrew scholars as the aurochs. (The identification was first made by Johann Ulrich Duerst, Die Rinder von Babylonian, Assyrien und Ägypten(Berlin, 1899:7-8), and was generally accepted, as by Salo Jonas, "Cattle Raising in Palestine" Agricultural History 26.3 (July 1952), pp. 93-104; The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Entry for 'Wild Ox'. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1939.)_
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Life restoration of an aurochs bull found in Braunschweig, Germany; Speculative life restoration of the enigmatic Indian aurochs (B. p. namadicus)
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The inscription reads: "The Aurochs – Bos primigenius bojanus, the ancestor of domestic cattle, lived in this forest Jaktorów until the year 1627."
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Cro-Magnon graffito of Bos primigenius in Grotta del Romito, Papasidero, Italy
in South India.(Shanyuan Chen, et al, "Zebu Cattle Are an Exclusive Legacy of the South Asia Neolithic", Mol Biol Evol (2010) 27(1): 1-6 ).
Indian zebu, although domesticated eight to ten thousand years ago, are related to aurochs that diverged from the Near Eastern ones some 200,000 years ago. African cattle are thought to have descended from aurochs more closely related to the Near Eastern ones. The Near East and African aurochs groups are thought to have split some 25,000 years ago, probably 15,000 years before domestication. The "Turano-Mongolian" type of cattle now found in northern China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan may represent a fourth domestication event (and a third event among B. taurus–type aurochs). This group may have diverged from the Near East group some 35,000 years ago. Whether these separate genetic populations would have equated to separate subspecies is unclear. (Hideyuki Mannen; et al. (August 2004). "Independent mitochondrial origin and historical genetic differentiation in North Eastern Asian cattle" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 32, issue 2. pp. 539–544.)
The maximum range of the aurochs was from Europe (excluding Ireland and northern Scandinavia), to northern Africa, the Middle East, India, and Central Asia.("History, Morphology And Ecology Of The Aurochs"(PDF) (McKenzie, Steven (17 February 2010). "Ancient giant cattle genome first". BBC News.) Until at least 3,000 years ago, the aurochs was also found in eastern China, where it is recorded at the Dingjiabao Reservoir in Yangyuan County. Most remains in China are known from the area east of 105°E, but the species has also been reported from the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, close to the Heihe River.(Zong, G (1984). A record of Bos primigenius from the Quaternary of the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Region, Volume XXII No. 3. Vertebrata PalAsiatica. pp. 239–245.)In Japan, excavations in various locations such as in Iwate and Tochigi prefectures have found aurochs which may have herded with steppe bisons.(HASEGAWA Y.，OKUMURA Y., TATSUKAWA H. (2009). "First record of Late Pleistocene Bison from the fissure deposits of the Kuzuu Limestone, Yamasuge，Sano-shi，Tochigi Prefecture，Japan" (pdf). Bull.Gunma Mus.Natu.Hist.(13). Gunma Museum of Natural History and Kuzuu Fossil Museum: 47–52.).
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The Vig-aurochs, one of two very well-preserved aurochs skeletons found in Denmark. The circles indicate where the animal was wounded by arrows.
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Mounted skeleton of a bull found in Vig, Denmark, National Museum of Denmark
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Charles Hamilton Smith's copy of a painting possibly dating to the 16th centuryImage may be NSFW.
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Restoration of the aurochs based on a bull skeleton from Lund and a cow skeleton from Cambridge, with chart of characteristic external features of the aurochs
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Restoration of the aurochs based on a bull skeleton from Lund and a cow skeleton from Cambridge, with chart of characteristic external features of the aurochs
The aurochs (/ˈɔːrɒks/ or /ˈaʊrɒks/; pl. aurochs, or rarely aurochsen, aurochses), also urus, ure (Bos primigenius), is an extinct species of large wild cattle that inhabited Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It is the ancestor of domestic cattle and the European bison, crossbred with Steppe bison...During the Neolithic Revolution, which occurred during the early Holocene, at least two aurochs domestication events occurred: one related to the Indian subspecies, leading to zebu cattle, and the other one related to the Eurasian subspecies, leading to taurine cattle. Other species of wild bovines were also domesticated, namely the wild water buffalo, gaur, wild yak and banteng. In modern cattle, numerous breeds share characteristics of the aurochs, such as a dark colour in the bulls with a light eel stripe along the back (the cows being lighter), or a typical aurochs-like horn shape. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurochs
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The reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BCE, and edicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.
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Handbuch der altorientalischen Geisteskultur von Jeremias, Alfred. Leipzig 1913. Seite 283. Anshar standing on a bull. Excavated from one of the ancient capitals of Assyria, Assur. "Ashur (also, Assur, Aššur; cuneiform: 𒀭𒀸𒋩 dAš-šur) is an East Semitic god, and the head of the Assyrian pantheon in Mesopotamian religion, worshipped mainly in the northern half of Mesopotamia, and parts of north-east Syria and south east Asia Minor which constituted old Assyria. He may have had a solar iconography.Aššur was a deified form of the city of Assur, which dates from the mid 3rd millennium BC and was the capital of the Old Assyrian kingdom." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashur_(god)
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Handbuch der altorientalischen Geisteskultur von Jeremias, Alfred. Leipzig 1913. Seite 283. Anshar standing on a bull. Excavated from one of the ancient capitals of Assyria, Assur. "Ashur (also, Assur, Aššur; cuneiform: 𒀭𒀸𒋩 dAš-šur) is an East Semitic god, and the head of the Assyrian pantheon in Mesopotamian religion, worshipped mainly in the northern half of Mesopotamia, and parts of north-east Syria and south east Asia Minor which constituted old Assyria. He may have had a solar iconography.Aššur was a deified form of the city of Assur, which dates from the mid 3rd millennium BC and was the capital of the Old Assyrian kingdom." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashur_(god)Image may be NSFW.
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Standard of Mari. The standard-bearer has a shaven face and head. The staff upholding the one-horned young bull is खोंड a variety of jōndhaḷā Holcus sorghum; the hieroglyph signifies karba 'culm of millet' rebus: karba 'iron'.
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Standard of Mari. The standard-bearer has a shaven face and head. The staff upholding the one-horned young bull is I submit that the one-honed young bull presented on this procession signifies the Indus Script young bull called खोंड (p. 122) khōṇḍa m A young bull, a bullcalf. 2 A variety of जोंधळा. जोंधळा (p. 187) jōndhaḷā m A cereal plant or its grain, Holcus sorghum. Eight varieties are reckoned, viz. उता- वळी, निळवा, शाळू, रातडी, पिवळा जोंधळा, खुंडी, काळबोंडी जोंधळा, दूध मोगरा. There are however many others as केळी, अरगडी, डुकरी, बेंदरी, मडगूप &c.कोंद kōnda 'young bull'.
कोंडण kōṇḍaṇa, 'cattlepen', Mesopotamia Rebus: kundaṇa 'fine gold'
Mudhif and three reed banners
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Figure 15.1.
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Figure 15.1. Sealing with representations of reed structures with cows, calves, lambs, and ringed
bundle “standards” of Inana (drawing by Diane Gurney. After Hamilton 1967, fig. 1) Six rings on each reed: bhaṭa 'six' rebus: bhaṭa'furnace' Cylinder seal impression, Uruk period, Uruk?, 3500-2900 BCE. Note a load of livestock (upper), overlapping greatly (weird representation), and standard 'mudhif' reed house form common to S. Iraq (lower). On either side of reed posts are three dotted circles: dāya 'dotted circle' on dhā̆vaḍ priest of 'iron-smelters', signifies tadbhava from Rigveda dhāī ''a strand (Sindhi) (hence, dotted circle shoring cross section of a thread through a perorated bead);rebus: dhāū, dhāv ʻa partic. soft red ores'. dhāˊtu n. ʻ substance ʼ RV., m. ʻ element ʼ MBh., ʻ metal, mineral, ore (esp. of a red colour) ʼ Mn., ʻ ashes of the dead ʼ lex., ʻ *strand of rope ʼ (cf. tridhāˊtu -- ʻ threefold ʼ RV., ayugdhātu -- ʻ having an uneven number of strands ʼ KātyŚr.). [√dhā ]Pa. dhātu -- m. ʻ element, ashes of the dead, relic ʼ; KharI. dhatu ʻ relic ʼ; Pk. dhāu -- m. ʻ metal, red chalk ʼ; N. dhāu ʻ ore (esp. of copper) ʼ; Or. ḍhāu ʻ red chalk, red ochre ʼ (whence ḍhāuā ʻ reddish ʼ; M. dhāū, dhāv m.f. ʻ a partic. soft red stone ʼ (whence dhā̆vaḍ m. ʻ a caste of iron -- smelters ʼ, dhāvḍī ʻ composed of or relating to iron ʼ); -- Si. dā ʻ relic ʼ; -- S. dhāī f. ʻ wisp of fibres added from time to time to a rope that is being twisted ʼ, L. dhāī˜ f.(CDIAL 6773
The standard bearer on the Mari frieze looks ike the priest shown on the Tell al Ubaid temple architectural frieze.
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Baghdad. Iraq. ca. 2002: Sumerian frieze with inlay of cows. Part of a pastoral scene. Temple of Ninhursag, Tell al Ubaid c 2475 BCE. National Museum of Iraq before it was looted in the Gulf War. https://tinyurl.com/ycwaqgcb Two calves are seen to emerge out of bot sides of the doorway (reed posts).
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Baghdad. Iraq. ca. 2002: Sumerian frieze with inlay of cows. Part of a pastoral scene. Temple of Ninhursag, Tell al Ubaid c 2475 BCE. National Museum of Iraq before it was looted in the Gulf War. https://tinyurl.com/ycwaqgcb Two calves are seen to emerge out of bot sides of the doorway (reed posts).Image may be NSFW.
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Statue of Kurlil. Found next to the Temple of Ninhursag in Tell al-Ubaid. Southern Iraq. 2500 BC. British Museum. http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mesopotamia-early-dynastic-period-statue-of-kurlil-found-next-to-the-78771104.html
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Libation offered to vegetation divinity. Temple of Ninhursag. https://www.ancient.eu/Ninhursag/
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Lyre Sumerian stela National Museum of Iraq https://www.pinterest.com/pin/366691594637065820/
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Figure 15.6. Tell al Ubaid, Temple of Ninhursag. Tridacna shell inlaid architectural frieze with bitumen and black shale. Early Dynastic period (ca. 2600 b.c.) (Hall and Woolley 1927)
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Figure 15.5. Tell al Ubaid, Temple of Ninhursag. Tridacna shell-inlaid architectural frieze with bitumen and black shale. Early Dynastic period (ca. 2600 b.c.e.) (© The Trustees of the British Museum)
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  The Copper Bull on display | |
| Material | Copper |
|---|---|
| Size | Length: 60.96 cm Height: 60.96 cm |
| Created | 2600 BCE |
| Discovered | 1923 Tell al-`Ubaid |
| Discovered by | Leonard Woolley |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Identification | ME 116740 |
| Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Tell al-`Ubaid Copper Lintel on display in the British Museum | |
| Material | Copper |
|---|---|
| Size | Length 2.59 metres, Height 1.07 metres |
| Created | 2600-2400 BC |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
| Identification | ME 114308 |
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Cylinder seal impression. Plough. Star. Culm of millet. Bull? Source of picture: http://www.mesopotamiangods.com/tag/mans-spirit/
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Cylinder seal impression. Plough. Star. Culm of millet. Bull? Source of picture: http://www.mesopotamiangods.com/tag/mans-spirit/“…on the façade of the temple of Ninhursag at Tell al Ubaid, an inlaid narrative relief panel represents the temple as a cattlepen (Figs. 15.5-6). The narrative sequence made with injlaidTridacna shells and limestone on a bitumen and black shale back-ground, depicts a milking scene with the dominance of human figures on the left and cattle on the right, while the composition is centered on the image of the temple. The vertical linear features in the representation of the temple most likely allude to the reed construction (upright reed bundles fastened together with bands of rope). The scene of cattle emerging from agate is also known from Late Uruk cylinder seal designs and low relief decoration on an alabaster trough (see discussion in Hall and Woolley 1927, pp. 113-14; and Winter 2010, p.203). The architecture of this temple may be considered as an archaizing representation of an archetypal enclosure of a reed structure as cattle pen, as one would associate with the long-term building practices in the marshy landscape of the south. In light of the above discussion of Mesopotamian cities and temples as cattlepen and sheepfold, this scene becomes not just symbolically linked to Ninhursag, ‘lady of the steppes,’ but evocative from a political point of view as well.” (Omur Harmansah, 2012, The cattlepen and the sheepfold: cities, temples, and pastoral power in Ancient Mesopotamia, in:Deena Ragavan (ed.), Heaven on earth, temples, ritual, and cosmic symbolism in the ancient world, Oriental Institute, Univ. of Chicago, 2012, p.383)
Omur Harmansah, 2012, The cattlepen and the sheepfold: cities, temples, and pastoral power in Ancient Mesopotamia, in:Deena Ragavan (ed.), Heaven on earth, temples, ritual, and cosmic symbolism in the ancient world, Oriental Institute, Univ. of Chicago, 2012, pp. 374-394
Mudhif is a cattle pen.
कोंडण kōṇḍaṇa, 'cattlepen', Mesopotamia Rebus: kundaṇa 'fine gold'
One-horned young bulls and calves are shown emerging out ofकोंडण kōṇḍaṇa cattlepens heralded by Inana standards atop the mudhifs. The Inana standards are reeds with three rings.
Sumerian mudhif (reedhouse) http://www.laputanlogic.com/articles/2004/01/24-0001.html
and modern mudhif structure (Iraq) compare with the Toda mund (sacred hut)
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A Toda temple in Muthunadu Mund near Ooty, India.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toda_people
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284 x 190 mm. Close up view of a Toda hut, with figures seated on the stone wall in front of the building. Photograph taken circa 1875-1880, numbered 37 elsewhere. Royal Commonwealth Society Library. Cambridge University Library. University of Cambridge.
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284 x 190 mm. Close up view of a Toda hut, with figures seated on the stone wall in front of the building. Photograph taken circa 1875-1880, numbered 37 elsewhere. Royal Commonwealth Society Library. Cambridge University Library. University of Cambridge.Image may be NSFW.
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Rebus Meluhha readings: kōṭhā 'warehouse' kuṭhāru 'armourer, PLUS kole.l'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy, forge' PLUS ḍhāla 'flagstaff' rebus: ḍhālako 'large ingot'. Thus, the message is: armoury, smithy, forge ingots.
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Rebus Meluhha readings: kōṭhā 'warehouse' kuṭhāru 'armourer, PLUS kole.l'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy, forge' PLUS ḍhāla 'flagstaff' rebus: ḍhālako 'large ingot'. Thus, the message is: armoury, smithy, forge ingots.m0702 Text 2206 showing Sign 39, a glyph which compares with the Sumerian mudhif structure.
- ढालकाठी [ ḍhālakāṭhī ] f ढालखांब m A flagstaff; esp.the pole for a grand flag or standard.
ढाल [ ḍhāla ] 'flagstaff' rebus: dhalako 'a large metal ingot (Gujarati) ḍhālakī = a metal heated and poured into a mould; a solid piece of metal; an ingot (Gujarati). The mudhif flag on the inscription is read rebus: xolā 'tail' Rebus: kole.l 'smithy, temple'. The structure is goṭ 'catttle-pen' (Santali) rebus: koṭṭhaka 'warehouse'. [kōṣṭhāgāra n. ʻ storeroom, store ʼ Mn. [kṓṣṭha -- 2 , agāra -- ]Pa. koṭṭhāgāra -- n. ʻ storehouse, granary ʼ; Pk. koṭṭhāgāra -- , koṭṭhāra -- n. ʻ storehouse ʼ; K. kuṭhār m. ʻ wooden granary ʼ, WPah. bhal. kóṭhār m.; A. B. kuṭharī ʻ apartment ʼ, Or. koṭhari; Aw. lakh. koṭhārʻ zemindar's residence ʼ; H. kuṭhiyār ʻ granary ʼ; G. koṭhār m. ʻ granary, storehouse ʼ, koṭhāriyũ n. ʻ small do. ʼ; M. koṭhār n., koṭhārẽ n. ʻ large granary ʼ, -- °rī f. ʻ small one ʼ; Si. koṭāra ʻ granary, store ʼ.WPah.kṭg. kəṭhāˊr, kc. kuṭhār m. ʻ granary, storeroom ʼ, J. kuṭhār, kṭhār m.; -- Md. kořāru ʻ storehouse ʼ ← Ind.(CDIAL 3550)] Rebus: kuṭhāru 'armourer,
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Field symbol is zebu (bos indicus). pōḷa 'zebu, bos indicus' rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore' [pōlāda] 'steel'.
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Field symbol is zebu (bos indicus). pōḷa 'zebu, bos indicus' rebus: pōḷa 'magnetite, ferrite ore' [pōlāda] 'steel'.Text 1330 (appears with Zebu glyph) showing Sign 39. Pictorial motif: Zebu (Bos indicus) This sign is comparable to the cattle byre of Southern Mesopotamia dated to c. 3000 BCE. Rebus Meluhha readings of gthe inscription are from r. to l.: kole.l 'temple' rebus: kole.l 'smithy, forge' PLUS goṭ 'cattle-pen' rebus: koṭṭhāra 'warehouse' PLUS sal 'splinter' rebus: sal 'workshop' PLUS aya 'fish' rebus: aya 'iron' ayas 'alloy metal' PLUS kuṭika— 'bent' MBh. Rebus: kuṭila, katthīl = bronze (8 parts copper and 2 parts tin) PLUS kanka, karṇika कर्णिक 'rim of jar' rebus: karṇī 'supercargo, a representative of the ship's owner on board a merchant ship, responsible for overseeing the cargo and its sale'. Read together with the fieldsymbol of the zebu,the message is: magnetite ore smithy, forge, warehouse, iron alloy metal, bronze merchandise (ready for loading as cargo).
goṭ = the place where cattle are collected at mid-day (Santali); goṭh (Brj.)(CDIAL 4336). goṣṭha (Skt.); cattle-shed (Or.) koḍ = a cow-pen; a cattlepen; a byre (G.) कोठी cattle-shed (Marathi) कोंडी [ kōṇḍī ] A pen or fold for cattle. गोठी [ gōṭhī ] f C (Dim. of गोठा) A pen or fold for calves. (Marathi)
koṭṭhaka1 (nt.) "a kind of koṭṭha," the stronghold over a gateway, used as a store -- room for various things, a chamber, treasury, granary Vin ii.153, 210; for the purpose of keeping water in it Vin ii.121=142; 220; treasury J i.230; ii.168; -- store -- room J ii.246; koṭthake pāturahosi appeared at the gateway, i. e. arrived at the mansion Vin i.291.; -- udaka -- k a bath -- room, bath cabinet Vin i.205 (cp. Bdhgh's expln at Vin. Texts ii.57); so also nahāna -- k˚ and piṭṭhi -- k˚, bath -- room behind a hermitage J iii.71; DhA ii.19; a gateway, Vin ii.77; usually in cpd. dvāra -- k˚ "door cavity," i. e. room over the gate: gharaŋ satta -- dvāra -- koṭṭhakapaṭimaṇḍitaŋ "a mansion adorned with seven gateways" J i.227=230, 290; VvA 322. dvāra -- koṭṭhakesu āsanāni paṭṭhapenti "they spread mats in the gateways" VvA 6; esp. with bahi: bahi -- dvārakoṭṭhakā nikkhāmetvā "leading him out in front of the gateway" A iv.206; ˚e thiṭa or nisinna standing or sitting in front of the gateway S i.77; M i.161, 382; A iii.30. -- bala -- k. a line of infantry J i.179. -- koṭṭhaka -- kamma or the occupation connected with a storehouse (or bathroom?) is mentioned as an example of a low occupation at Vin iv.6; Kern, Toev. s. v. "someone who sweeps away dirt." (Pali)
कोंडण kōṇḍaṇa, 'cattlepen', Mesopotamia Rebus: kundaṇa 'fine gold'
One-horned young bulls and calves are shown emerging out of