La vita quotidiana (della statua) del dio nell'antica Mesopotamia

This article looks at the materiality and mundanity of the divine through the analysis of the god’s statue daily routine. In ancient Mesopotamia, the divine presence among the human community is ensured by the god’s or goddess’ statue in the temple. This has been the focus of several studies that have been devoted to the divine materiality and presence in recent years. These works, that starts from interpretative model borrowed from other social sciences or compare distant cultures, are, however, limited to the discussion of few basic and recurrent topics, i.e. the terms for statue and the “Washing of the mouth” ritual. his article, instead, takes a step back and looks at the materiality of the god’s statue discussing the divine daily routine in the light of literary and documentary sources. It starts analysing the fashioning, the materials, other components (accessories, dresses, jewels), and, none the least, the dimension of the divine statue. The article describes the space where the god/statue dwells, the “house” of the god (temple), discussing its structure, its parts, and its furniture and the daily rituals. The consumption of the divine meal and the sensorial dimension of the divine experience of music is discussed together with the care of the “divine body”, i.e. bathing and anointing of the statue, as well as its clothes, jewels, accessories, and the dressing ceremony. Lastly, the article addresses the matter of the relationship the statue maintains with objects (throne, bed) and space, discussing its movement inside and outside the temple (the New Year procession, the godnapping practice).