The ewe that was a scapegoat bride: A new look at the hittite bestiality purification ritual kub 41, 11

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Abstract

The ritual KUB 41, 11+ is known especially for its striking treatment of the purification of bestiality. This article challenges the common interpretation that the ritual involved a marriage between the sexual offender and the victimized sheep or goat, showing that no evidence suggests such a marriage. Instead, the ewe-bride motif may be interpreted as an elaborate variation on the scapegoat ritual genre, offering an interesting twist to the adornment of the scapegoat before it was sent away.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)226-234
Number of pages9
JournalZeitschrift fur Assyriologie und Vorderasiastische Archaeologie
Volume108
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 27 Nov 2018

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Archaeology
  • Archaeology

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