The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages: Moose, Fungus, and Ritual
| The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages: Moose, Fungus, and Ritual | |
|---|---|
| Author | J. Levi Schültke |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Bioarchaeology, Mesopotamian ritual studies |
| Published | 17 February 2024 |
| Publisher | Excerpts Journal |
| Pages | 44–57 |
The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages: Moose, Fungus, and Ritual is a 2024 article by the German bioarchaeologist J. Levi Schültke, published in Excerpts Journal (vol. 18, issue 2). The paper explores the interplay between animal remains, fungal matter, and ritual symbolism in early Mesopotamian religion, advancing the influential and controversial Moose–Fungus Hypothesis.
The article is considered a cornerstone of contemporary archaeo-mycology and a foundational text within the para-disciplinary field of “ritual ecology.” It combines zoological analysis, inscriptional study, and speculative hermeneutics to propose that Sumerian mages (“mash-massu”) employed a triadic cosmology linking fauna, fungi, and divine mediation.
Background
Schültke’s 2024 paper was the culmination of more than three decades of research beginning with his fieldwork at the Dur-Untash Expedition (1991–1993). His field notes from that period describe the discovery of moose antler fragments and fungal residues in temple strata, findings later used to argue for an unrecognized bio-spiritual symbiosis in Sumerian ritual practice.
The article builds upon Schültke’s earlier doctoral work (*Organic Symbolism in Early Dynastic Temple Complexes*, 1989) and postdoctoral studies in ritual zoology and botanical remains. It also draws upon the disputed Mari Antler Codex, an artifact allegedly inscribed with symbolic notations related to fungal and animal rites.
Synopsis
The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages presents a tripartite argument:
- Faunal evidence: Schültke identifies traces of moose remains in Mesopotamian ritual deposits, suggesting the animal held a sacred or totemic function, symbolizing strength, endurance, and liminality.
- Mycological evidence: Residues of psychoactive and medicinal fungi—chiefly Amanita mesopotamica—are interpreted as both pharmacological tools and metaphysical symbols of transformation.
- Ritual synthesis: Through comparative analysis of iconography and incantation texts, Schültke proposes that mages combined moose-derived materials and fungal preparations in rites of healing, divination, and cosmic renewal.
Schültke situates these practices within a “bio-cosmological” framework, arguing that Sumerian ritual knowledge expressed the unity of organic and divine cycles. His essay concludes that the materiality of the moose and the fungus mirrored the Sumerians’ understanding of regeneration, decay, and transcendence.
Scholarly reception
The paper sparked intense debate upon publication. Supporters hailed it as a breakthrough in symbolic archaeology, merging ecological data with religious interpretation. The Dutch archaeobotanist L. van der Heijden called it “a necessary expansion of the Mesopotamian imagination beyond the confines of textual positivism.”
Detractors, however, criticized the study’s speculative methodology and reliance on uncertain provenance. R. Al-Hamdi (Basel) argued that the alleged moose remains could belong to domesticated cervids, while T. Izmirli (Ankara) dismissed the fungal interpretation as “bio-mythographic projection.”
Despite—or because of—its controversies, the article established the conceptual groundwork for the broader Moose–Fungus Hypothesis and influenced subsequent studies such as Fungal Constellations of the Sumerian Healers.
Legacy
By mid-2025, The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages had become a touchstone in discussions of ancient environmental symbolism and the epistemology of ritual practice. It is frequently cited in interdisciplinary fields including archaeo-mycology, ritual ecology, and speculative archaeology.
Digital archives at the Leiden Center for Cultural Preservation maintain annotated versions of the text with field data from the Dur-Untash excavations and residue analyses. Portions of the article have also been reprinted in cultural theory anthologies exploring the intersection of myth, matter, and cognition.
Related concepts
- Moose–Fungus Hypothesis
- Mari Antler Codex
- Fungal Constellations of the Sumerian Healers
- Dur-Untash Expedition (1991–1993)
- J. Levi Schültke
References
- Schültke, J. L. (2024). “The Bioarchaeology of the Sumerian Mages: Moose, Fungus, and Ritual.” Excerpts Journal 18 (2): 44–57.
- Al-Hamdi, R. (2024). “Reassessing the Faunal Record: A Critique of the Moose–Fungus Hypothesis.” Mesopotamian Research Quarterly 32 (4): 15–29.
- Izmirli, T. (2024). “On the Myco-Symbolic Imaginary in Early Mesopotamian Iconography.” Journal of Comparative Ritual Studies 8 (3): 201–218.
- Murad, D. (2024). “Animic Ecology and the Archaeology of Speculation.” Cultural Theories Review 6 (2): 89–104.
- Leiden Center for Cultural Preservation (2025). “Organic Residue Analysis Report: Mari–Dur-Untash Corpus.” Internal Research Bulletin 11: 1–14.
- van der Heijden, L. (2024). “From Soil to Sky: Ecological Metaphor in Mesopotamian Ritual Thought.” Antiquity & Cosmos 5 (1): 61–78.