“Humbaba’s cry is the roar of a deluge, his maw is fire, his breath is death!” The Mesopotamian monster Humbaba is depicted here as if made from the coils of sheep intestines. The clay mask, excavated in the city of Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba in Iraq) and dating to the Old Babylonian period (c. 1900–1600 BCE), serves as an artistic example of a possible divination result. Three inches tall, the mask contains five lines of text, including an omen and the name of the diviner who crafted the mask, on its back. Humbaba is the legendary guardian of […]
