FEF, Arkeoloji Bölümü, Makale Koleksiyonu http://hdl.handle.net/11616/11488 2021-05-12T11:29:20Z An evaluation on the cult of the snake goddess in the ancient near east http://hdl.handle.net/11616/13021 An evaluation on the cult of the snake goddess in the ancient near east Donmez, Sevgi Serpent, which was believed to possess the information on the minerals and hidden sources within the earth in relation to the underground forces in the Ancient Near East societies, was also associated with the seasonal cycle and resurrection since the Prehistoric Periods. Associated with the serpent, the divine forces displayed differences with the dawn of the central structures. The symbol of the serpent, associated with the agricultural activities, irrigation systems, granaries, vegetables and healing, sometimes confronts us both in the archaeological documents and cuneiform scripts as a composite creature. The symbols of serpent goddess date back to the Neolithic Period. Probably the primitive civilizations thought that the forces of death and resurrection in nature were performed under the control of a goddess. In Anatolia of the 2nd millennium B.C., we are learning the information about the underworld goddesses from the Hittite cuneiform scripts. Accordingly, most of the goddesses, related to the underworld, were defined as the goddesses of fate and river banks. These goddesses have the abilities to grant long life and cure. The serpent goddess, displayed on the Harput Relief and described to have a serpent body below her waist, must be an underworld goddess, who appeared in the Ancient Babylon Period as she carried the characteristics of the Egyptian art, and originated from Syria. Furthermore, the serpent goddess, on the Harput Relief, seems to have an important role in determining the result of the war. Keywords 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z