Demoness Lamashtu Amulet

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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published on 14 April 2016
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Demoness Lamashtu Amulet Download Full Size Image

Amulet depicting a Lamashtu standing on a donkey and suckling a jackal and a wild pig, from Northern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq, c. 800-550 BCE.

Lamashtu prayed on women in childbirth and newborn infants. She has a lion's head, wings, and eagle's talons. Amulet images show suckling animals and riding a donkey in a boat with the special items described in the rituals against her. Such amulets were usually hung up in bedrooms to repel the demoness Lamashtu.

The British Museum, London.

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, April 14). Demoness Lamashtu Amulet. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4899/demoness-lamashtu-amulet/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Demoness Lamashtu Amulet." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 14, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4899/demoness-lamashtu-amulet/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Demoness Lamashtu Amulet." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 14 Apr 2016. Web. 05 Feb 2025.

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