VN April 2023

Vetnews | April 2023 41 Many people have read about the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Still, not many know about the long history of zoological parks or gardens whose origin in the Fertile Crescent dates back to 5000 b.C. At this time, lush and exquisite gardens were symbols of royalty and a way to show power and control over nature’s chaotic and wild forces. Fromprehistoric hunting to the present, with the rise of exotic pets, man has been attracted to materials, plants and animals which are foreign to his environment. Their rarity made these goods valuable, so they were frequently used in transactions between tribes, cities and countries. In the confluence area between two biogeographic regions, Mesopotamia maintained a rich biodiversity until recent times, when progressive aridification and anthropic activity annihilated many species. Animals of Eurasian origin, such as wild boars, onagers, deer and bears, once abounded here, along with others of African origin, such as lions, hyenas, cheetahs and ostriches. On the other hand, in Sumer, there was a whole culture of gardens ( kiri 6 , figure 1). These could be located outside and inside the cities, associated with temples and palaces. There were several types depending on their different uses: from the humble orchards in each village for cultivating fruits and vegetables to the famous kiri 6 -mah or ‘sublime gardens’, in which monarchs liked to display the trophies obtained in the confines of the world. These trophies were a good way to show his subjects his dominion over those lands. In these carefully designed palace gardens, with fountains, fish ponds and other decorative elements, fauna and flora reproduced the entire foreign ecosystem. The Royal Hunts, which were discussed in a previous article, were performed in special enclosures where kings gathered more wild species. In this case, the selection criteria related to beauty were left aside, as monarchs opted for powerful and fierce creatures exhibiting large defences, such as fangs, claws or horns. Animals not native to Mesopotamia were caught or bought; they were part of the system of royal gift exchange or were offered as tribute as the “best produce of the land” by subordinated peoples. Beautiful animals such as peacocks, chickens (yes, they were exotic to Mesopotamians at that time), dholes, water buffaloes and macaques from Meluhha (current India); bulls, bears, hawks, leopards, elephants or stags from the mountains and northern forests; camels from Central Asia, dromedaries and oryxes from Arabia; cheetahs, antelopes and apes from África; gazelles, onagers from the steppe… any known species could be part of these paradisiacal spaces. v EXOTIC GARDENS IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA Silvia Nicolás Alonso Ph.D. in Veterinary Medicine Biblical and Oriental Institute (León, Spain) Figure 1: The garden scene. Low relief fragment found at North Palace (Nineveh). It depicts king Ashurbanipal and queen Libbali-sarrat celebrating a military victory in the palace garden. They enjoy music and food under some not native flora represented by date palms, conifers and vines with birds. Neo-Assyrian (645B-635B b.C.). The British Museum. The pictogram for garden and its evolution to cuneiform sign is included, note the representation of trees. Garden tress had an important role as they protected fewer resistant plants from direct sunlight and desiccation. Terms relating to the text are transliterated in both Sumerian (bold) and Akkadian (italic). The determinative giš stands for wood, a scarce and very valued material in Ancient Mesopotamia. Last, a resume of the gardens´ main uses is also included. Do you Know?