Beyond the role of the ashipu and the asu, there were other means of procuring health care in ancient Mesopotamia. One of these alternative sources was the Temple of Gula. ▣
Gula is the Sumerian goddess of healing and the patroness of medicine. Her consort is Ninurta. The dog is her symbolic animal. ▩ ... She is usually depicted surrounded by stars with her dog by her side. ┓
Gula is often identified with Nin'insina, the tutelary goddess of Isin.
She is also associated with the underworld.
In his book Illness and Health Care in the Ancient Near East: the Role of the Temple in Greece, Mesopotamia, and Israel, Hector Avalos states that not only were the temples of Gula sites for the diagnosis of illness (Gula was consulted as to which god was responsible for a given illness), but that these temples were also libraries that held many useful medical texts. △
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