The Kassite ‘Naked Goddess’: Analysis and Interpretation

This article intends to analyze the iconography of the ‘naked goddess’, also called by scholars ‘nude female’, in Kassite glyptic, starting from her first appearance on seals in the Old Babylonian period. Some differences are highlighted, both in her attire and in the scenes where she is depicted. For example, while in Old Babylonian glyptic she is represented standing, completely frontal, the hands jointed under the breast, the feet also jointed, and the face surrounded by fluent hair, in Kassite glyptic she has both the feet and the face in profile. On the other hand, the Old Babylonian seals present a greater variety of scenes. Thus, although the Kassite ‘naked goddess’ may be considered an Old Babylonian heritage, this study aims at understanding and proposing an hypothesis about the specific meaning of the Kassite ‘naked goddes’.