Animal names and descriptions in Sumerian and old and new Babylonian sources in the light of archaeological finds and cuneiforms tablets

Mesopotamia, meaning ''fertile crescent'', is the region where the world's oldest societies and cultures emerged. Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians, among the most important civilizations established in this region, laid the foundations of Mesopotamian civilization. The high culture that emerged as a result of this brought along the advancements in the world of thought, mythology and artistic understanding of the civilizations in the region. The understanding of art created by these civilizations has reached today in different forms with cylinder seals, figures, reliefs, plates in the form of religious elements and many materials used as goods. The most commonly used motifs in these finds are god figures depicted alone or with worshipers, and animals depicted in various scenes. The animals depicted were often both representative and sacred animal of the gods. In addition to being depicted as symbols of gods in the religious sense, these animals were also an economic source of income for Mesopotamian civilizations. Agriculture and livestock were vital activities for Mesopotamian societies. For this reason, animals in all areas of life have been the main source of many activities in daily life, as they are in close relationship with humans. Sumerian and Babylonian societies not only saw animals as a source of food, but also regarded them as creatures that acted with their minds and emotions. Because of these features, some behaviors of animals are identified with human behaviors and emotions. Inappropriate or negative aspects and feelings of humans are referred through the characteristic features and behaviors of animals. Thus, animals that are in close contact and also seen as symbols in the religious sense take place both in the decorations and descriptions on their monumental works, as well as in dictionary lists, legal documents, temple records, ritual texts and literary works. In this study, the depictions in archaeological works of economic, religious and daily life in the Sumerian and Babylonian periods from Mesopotamian societies and the names of animals in cuneiform tablets will be discussed. The purpose of creating these depictions and the narratives in the documents, their importance in daily life, the types and names of the depicted animals will be emphasized.