Spaces and Sonic Settings inside the Mesopotamian Temples

Music and ritual lamentation played an important role in the identity of a cultic space in ancient Mesopotamia. This sonic configuration of a Mesopotamian cultic space could occur on a general level (e.g., transforming a conventional building into a cultic one by introducing a cultic sound tool inside), but also on more specific levels. This oral presentation will show how Sumerian texts from the late third and early second millennium BCE (in addition to later evidence) suggest the existence of specific sonic settings for the different spaces of a cultic building (cella, courtyard, dining room, gates, etc.). Special attention will be paid to possible similar settings for different spaces and how these spaces could be connected beyond music/sounds.