At the center of the study is Assyriologist Troels Pank Arbøll, who collected and re-evaluated the limited prescriptions that explicitly direct a patient to “seek out” a sanctuary. In these texts, the sanctuary visit is not described as the cure itself, but as a prerequisite - something that sets conditions for healing to work.
- Mixing Magic and Medicine: New Study Shows Mesopotamian Doctors Had to Battle More Than Disease
- Unravelling the Mystery of Disease in Ancient Mesopotamia
Why ear and “ṭulīmu” (spleen/pancreas) problems led people to sanctuaries
In the study published in the journal Iraq from Cambridge University, it was found that across “hundreds of medical manuscripts,” Arbøll identifies only 12 prescriptions (from six manuscripts) that mention seeking a deity’s sanctuary - an exceptionally small number that makes the pattern harder to dismiss as casual wording. Five of the six manuscripts deal with ear disorders, while one concerns the ṭulīmu, a term the study glosses as the spleen/pancreas.
The deities named in these sanctuary instructions include Sîn, Ninurta, Šamaš, Ištar, and Marduk, and the intended outcome is commonly phrased as experiencing or “seeing” good fortune/divine favour. The sanctuary might have been a major public temple, or, crucially, could also refer to a local or domestic shrine, since the term used can imply a dedicated sacred space in a private home.
Arbøll argues that this “good fortune” may have helped neutralize bad omens implied by symptoms, or even make certain days suitable for treatment. One text raises a translation puzzle: it may mean the good fortune was experienced “on the 6th day” or for “six days,” and Arbøll leans toward a multi-day period - consistent with treatments repeated over several days, relates Phys.org.
Within Mesopotamian thought, the ear had a symbolic weight beyond anatomy: it was linked to receiving wisdom, attention, and obedience, and ear problems could also become dangerous in practical terms. The paper notes ear infections can escalate into vertigo (bedridden patients) and even severe complications such as meningitis, an argument for why ear ailments might have triggered extra spiritual precaution.
(For related Ancient Origins context on ancient ear disease and how serious infections could become, see: Evidence of Ear Surgery From 5300 Years Ago.)
- Almost 100 Cuneiform Clay Tablets Unearthed…
- The Controversial Road to the Recovery of Cuneiform Texts
Drawing by Sigal Lea Raveh after cylinder seal of BaU-Baba-Gula goddess of healing life and death. (sigal Lea Raveh/CC BY-SA 4.0)
What patients likely did at sanctuaries (and why Gula matters)
The coverage highlights a reasonable reconstruction: a patient visiting a sanctuary would likely recite prayers and perform ritual actions such as presenting offerings. Arbøll also points to archaeological traces - like votive figurines associated with Gula, the Mesopotamian healing goddess, suggesting that some sufferers left objects linked to their affliction as supplication.
The academics clarify that temples were not usually the main venue for treatment - many healing ceremonies happened at home - but there is stronger evidence for links between Gula’s temples and recovery, especially at Isin, and for offerings made to Gula in other cities (including Assur).
A related Ancient Origins report on a cuneiform-tablet discovery notes that one fragment explicitly “mentions a temple to the goddess Gula,” hinting at how often healing, archives, and temple contexts could overlap in the ancient Near East.
A wider picture: Mesopotamian medicine blended observation and ritual
This sanctuary pattern also fits what scholars have long argued about Mesopotamian medicine: it combined careful observation with ritual responses to perceived supernatural causes. Ancient Origins’ earlier coverage of Arbøll’s work on Assyrian healer Kiṣir-Aššur describes doctors who treated illness with plant-based remedies while also countering demons, witchcraft, and divine displeasure, sometimes invoking gods such as Šamaš.
Top image: Ziggurat/temple of Ur to Sîn, where patients could seek good fortune. Source: Public Domain
By Gary Manners
References
Arbøll, T. P. 2025. Patients Seeking Out Sanctuaries of Deities in Medical Prescriptions. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0021088925100284/type/journal_article
Oster, S. 2026. Ancient Mesopotamian medical texts reveal the role of divine sanctuaries in treating ear and spleen ailments. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ancient-mesopotamian-medical-texts-reveal.html
