mul uz 3 , mul d Gula, and the Early History of Mesopotamian Constellations By Gennady Kurtik

https://www.academia.edu/46930270/mul_uz_3_mul_d_Gula_and_the_Early_History_of_Mesopotamian_Constellations This article is devoted to cuneiform sources shedding light on history of Mesopotamian constellations mul uz 3 ("The Goat") located in the area of modern Lyra, mul d Gula, a goddess connected with mul uz 3 , and mul ur.gi 7 ("The Dog") located in Hercules. In the eyes of ancient Mesopotamians, these constellations were bound by complex relationships that were changing in course of time. Gula was the goddess of the Goat constellation, and the Dog was a sacred animal of Gula. In the Neo-Assyrian period, Gula's anthropomorphic image was considered to be a figure of the constellation mul uz 3 , while figures of other constellations with animal names always corresponded to their names. It is shown in the article that originally (at the end of the third and the beginning of the second millennium b.c.) there were only two constellations (mul uz 3 and mul ur.gi 7) out of three mentioned above singled out in the Mesopotamian sky. The goddess Gula became associated with the constellation mul uz 3 only in the second half of the second millennium b.c. ...