Conclusion

This volume deals with the ethical aspects of human-animal relations as reflected in ancient Near Eastern literature.It focuses on a number of “windows of time” through which early times can be observed, concentrating on periods and genres that offer (relatively) extensive documentation.The Introduction surveys third-millennium BCE Sumerian culture—some of which sources are extant in copies and edited texts from the first half of the second millennium BCE, primarily in Babylonia.People living in close proximity to the animal world during this period, creatures served as practical, educational, and ethical exemplars.