The Study of Plants in Mesopotamian Scholarship

Abstract

Although plants are ubiquitous in our records from antiquity, our understanding of them is often curbed by uncertainty. This is especially true in the case of Assyro-Babylonian plants, and consequently, of all the fields of study that heavily depend on a correct interpretation of their names. This paper presents a quick overview of the study on plants in ancient Mesopotamia. Providing some brief examples from the history of the discipline, it explains how the study of ancient Mesopotamian plants has been approached from the early days of Assyriology until today. It also introduces the principal sources of information that have been available to scholars, while examining the major problems involved in the work, explaining their implications, and offering some new questions, or potential directions for future study.