Of Monkeys and Squirrels (with N. Madrer)

This paper suggests that the fanciful description of the cheery, raucous monkeys of the Cedar Forest that amaze Gilgameš and Enkidu (SB Gilg. V: 24–25 = Al-Rawi/George 2014) is a literary projection of a very real native of the mountains of Lebanon: the Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus). This animal would have been unfamiliar to Mesopotamians and its appearance and behavior would have reminded them of small monkeys. Support for artistic representation of the Caucasian squirrel can be found on some Syro-Levantine seals that feature a monkey-like figure, which is most plausibly identified with the squirrel.