Though it may not capture the most adorable qualities of man’s best friend, this 2,500-year-old depiction of a seated canine was nonetheless a cherished symbol within Babylonian society. Standing only 6 inches tall, the clay figurine, which shows the head, torso and front paws of a ferocious, wide-eyed hound baring its teeth, likely adorned a larger statue of Gula, the Mesopotamian goddess of medicine and healing whose divine symbol was the dog. Babylonian seals and boundary stelae often show a dog seated beside the enthroned goddess. While it is unknown exactly why the dog became associated with healing in […]