There are several examples of
clay models like this one. They are commonly described as “a man and woman in
bed.” On the page about Babylonian Prostitutes, I said that is not precisely
what’s happening, and I asked you to guess what it is. Have you figured it out?
No? Perhaps seeing a
line-drawing will help.
Now it should be clear what's going on.
It has been suggested this is a king and a lukur priestess in
bed. The priestess is a stand-in for a goddess. The king and the surrogate goddess
are enacting the Sacred Marriage, a fertility ritual that guarantees abundance for the land.
However, there is no royal or religious symbolism to indicate that the couple is indeed
a king and a lukur priestess.
If you still don’t know the answer, I’ll give you two more
hints:
The two hints taken together should make it clear what is
happening.
Still don't know? Okay, I’ll tell you.
In both examples, notice how the woman is cupping her breast
(isn’t that the man’s job?). As explained on the page about Babylonian Prostitutes,
“In Babylonian art, this is the hallmark of a prostitute." Regardless of whatever else a woman is doing, if she
is performing this gesture, she is a prostitute.
This isn’t a young couple making love, it’s a man having sex
with a paid prostitute.
There are other examples of Babylonian men and women in bed:
In both of these cases, the woman is not cupping her breasts
and she isn’t wearing jewelry or a belt, so technically she isn’t a prostitute.
Then on the other hand, maybe she is, as explained on the page about Babylonian
Prostitutes (near the end of the page).
kar-kid =
prostitute