On the Concept of “Sacred Prostitution” in the Neo-Assyrian Period

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to determine the situation of the priesthood institution, which was often expressed with the concept of “sacred prostitution” and played a role in “holy marriage” rituals in the Neo-Assyrian period. For this purpose, we will first focus on the concept of “sacred prostitution” and then try to deal with the class of nuns mentioned in the texts of the Neo-Assyrian period. The most superficial information in the texts and the silence of the archaeological evidence in this sense is the biggest deficiency in the elaboration of the study. Despite these shortcomings, we would like to make a general assessment regarding the nuns reflected in the cuneiform texts in the Neo-Assyrian period, based on the available sources, and express our views on whether there was “sacred prostitution” in this period.