The inscription engraved on the masterfully crafted cup from the Ain Samia necropolis may hold a completely different meaning than previously thought by scientists. This is the belief of a research team from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) and the University of Toronto (Canada).
, known in academic circles as the Ain Samia bowl, was discovered by archaeologists in 1970 during a prestigious burial site on the West Bank of the Jordan River.
The cup, standing at 7.5 cm tall and featuring an intricate half-human, half-creature engraving, has been dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age: 2650-1950 BCE. At that time, the region was inhabited by several nomadic communities.
It is believed that the cup was made in Southern Mesopotamia around 4,300 years ago. The silver used for its creation was sourced from what is now modern-day Syria or Iraq, as reported by The Independent.
A New Interpretation of the Engravings
Previously, researchers claimed that the on the cup depict a chaotic world filled with plants, animals, and humans ruled by a serpent. Some archaeologists suggested that the cup reflects the Babylonian creation myth “Enuma Elish,” which tells the story of how the god Marduk defeated a supernatural creature of chaos named Tiamat.
However, the authors of a new study published in the Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society argue that the Babylonian myth interpretation is incorrect. The reason is that this cup predates that myth by over a millennium.
According to the researchers, the engraving represents one of the oldest cosmological images in the world. The artisan captured the origin of the cosmos—the transition of the universe from chaos to order. The rising sun dispels chaos and renews the world.
In this new interpretation, the engraving depicts a time “when heaven and earth, animals and plants were all fused together.” The researchers believe that the engraving combines elements from various myths and legends across ancient Mesopotamia.
One motif, for instance, shows people holding solar mirrors. This may allude to a depiction of a celestial boat found on 11,500-year-old pottery from the Turkish temple complex Göbekli Tepe.
“There are no scenes from ‘Enuma Elish’ on the Ain Samia cup, as it predates the Babylonian creation myth by more than a millennium,” the researchers noted.
“The scenes depict the transition from chaos to a structured universe, protected from chaos by deities. Special attention is given to the birth of the Sun deity and its subsequent journey through the cosmos,” the team emphasized.
