The Representation of the Donkey in Ancient Iraq

Abstract

The donkey is a mammal animal which has been mentioned in the Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform writings. The ancient Iraqi people used donkeys for riding and carrying heavy loads, as well as in agriculture and plowing. The positive characteristics of the donkey made it domesticated and used widely by most families who used to possess at least one or more donkeys.
The donkey was probably domesticated long before the horse and was descended from the wild ass called the onager. The domesticated donkey appeared in artistic forms for the first time in the Ubaid era, where clay samples representing a donkey were found and donkey representations were widely seen on cylinderic seals during the Uruk and Jemdat Nasr eras.