Identifier: opencourt_d40840caru (find matches)
Title: The Open court
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Carus, Paul, 1852-1919 Open Court Publishing company, Chicago
Subjects: Religion Religion and science
Publisher: Chicago : The Open Court Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Morris Library, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Digitizing Sponsor: CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois

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Ostrich Egg-shell Cup from Grave at Kish, Mesopotamia. About 3000 B.C. In Field Museum. (Field ATuseum-Oxford University Joint Expedition, under the auspices of Captain Marshall Field.) OSTRICH EGG-SHELL CUPS FROM MESOPOTAMIA 261 The ostrich is clearly represented on Assyrian seals and cylin-ders. One of these (Figure One) was the seal of Urzana, king of)\Iusasir, i contemporary of King Sargon (eighth century r>. C).and represents Assur, king of the great Assyrian gods, with fourwings, in the act of strangling two ostriches. On another seal(Figure Two) the god ^^larduk is shown in the act of executingvengeance on an ostrich. With his left hand he firmly grasps thebirds long neck, and in his right he hold a scimitar which willapparently be used to sever the birds head. These illustrationsapparentlv hint at a ritual act and seem to indicate that the ostrichwas also a sacrificial bird and that its flesh was solemnly ofteredto the eods.
Text Appearing After Image:
(Figure Two) (Figure One) ENGRAVINGS ON ASSYRIAN SEAL-CYLINDERS. Fig. L Assur Svraxglixg Two Ostriches. Fig. 2. The God )Mardukexecutixg an ostrich. The ostrich was well known to the Hebrews, and as attested byseveral allusions to the bird in the Old Testament, must in ancienttimes have been frequent in Palestine. It is included among uncleanbirds in the Mosaic code, and its flesh was prohibited. This mayhint at the fact that the ostrich had occasionally served as food tothe Hebrews, although we have no positive information on thispoint. The Arabs of ancient and modern times feast on the bird,and as related by Leo Africanus of the sixteenth century, it was con-sumed in large quantity in Xumidia, where young birds were cap-tured and fattened for this purpose. Those who have tasted it stateunanimously that it is both wholesome and palatable, although inthe wild bird, as might be expected, it is somewhat lean and tough.The meat of domesticated birds, however, especially those fed onalfal

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