Andrew George's Lecture at the University of Chicago

This is an essay or scholarly reflection on Babylonian mythological thought, examining the symbolic connection between the goddess of sex, love, and war and the shepherd god in ancient Mesopotamian religion. The author acknowledges the difficulty of fully understanding Babylonian thought from a modern perspective while proposing that such understanding is still possible through careful consideration. The work explores how these divine figures and their associations functioned within the symbolic system of Babylonian mythology, suggesting the interconnection of apparently disparate domains—sexuality, emotion, conflict, and pastoral life—within the ancient worldview. The piece matters as a contribution to the study of ancient Near Eastern religious thought and the way pre-modern cultures organized their understanding of human experience through divine mythology.