Ancient Mesopotamian love spells reveal surprisingly modern emotions about attraction and desire
In short: Professor Andrew George explores the language of love through two Old Babylonian incantations. By comparing these ancient texts to modern popular music, this lecture highlights how the human experience of romantic attraction has remained remarkably consistent across four millennia.
This lecture examines two specific incantations from the Old Babylonian period, recently published in the collection Mesopotamian Incantations and Related Texts. Professor Andrew George of SOAS, University of London, analyzes these compositions by placing them in a comparative framework alongside contemporary love songs.
The study features one previously unknown incantation and another that bears a striking, familiar resemblance to other known texts. By bridging the gap between ancient Akkadian and Sumerian literature and modern pop culture, the presentation illustrates that the expressions of longing and sexual desire are enduring themes that transcend nearly four thousand years of history.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Andrew George | Be My Baby in Babylonia
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