CHAPTER XXXVl 



FISH IN OFFERINGS, AUGURIES, ETC. 



The Sumerian records leave no possibility of doubt as to 

 offerings of fish being made to the deities, not exclusively or 

 specially to a deity of fish. They show Eannatum in early 

 days offering at Telloh certain fish to various gods to secure 

 their aid that the treaty which he had just concluded with 

 the city of Umma might be maintained for all time unbroken. 



Similar offerings present themselves all through the history 

 of Assyria. Numerous tablets detailing the nature of the en- 

 joined offerings include fish, and as numerous receipts by the 

 temples acknowledge offerings of fish.^ In the course of time 

 votive offerings in ivory and bronze, etc., according to King, 

 took the place of actual fish. 2 



The striking resemblance of the institution of the Scape- 

 Goat in Palestine to the ancient Mashhuldiippu or Babylonian 

 Scape-Goat, both in object and high ceremonial ritual, is noted 

 in my Jewish chapter, ^ But we cannot for one moment 

 assume that sacrifices and oblations in Assyria evolved from 

 perhaps the earHest primitive, i.e. human, sacrifice, or followed 

 the same lines as those of Israel or of Rome. In the first nation 

 human sacrifice probably prevailed in the earher times to a 

 wide extent, and in the second (as Varro indicates) " Populus 

 pro se ignem animalia mittit," and even " pisciculum pro 

 animis humanis " became a not unusual and cheaper alter- 

 native.* 



^ See Nikolski, Documents de la plus ancicnne t^oquc chaldeenne, Nos. 265 

 and 269 ; this last tablet (c. 2900 b.c.) records the delivery of large numbers of 

 fish of various kinds by fishermen for two great festivals. 



' Cf. antea, p. 217, as regards Rome. 



' Postea, p. 427. 



* See Greek- Roman section. Chapter XVI. 

 382 



