Containers for the dead

Clay, fire, and water are not only the three basic elements required for pottery-making, but also key symbolic components in shaping the mythological dimensions of many societies across the world, both ancient and modern. In his book La potière jalouse (1985), Claude Lévi-Strauss insightfully recognized this aspect in the formation of mythological narratives among Native American communities, emphasizing the significant role of potters and pottery in the broader framework of human religiosity. In this paper, I aim to explore the cosmological significance attributed to pots used in funerary depositions in Mesopotamia between the third and first millennia BC. It is particularly during the latter period that the widespread use of clay containers among Assyrian and Babylonian communities reflects the central role these vessels played in shaping their funerary traditions.