LAHi Presents: Seriously Trivial On the fifth day of the festival, which marked the new year, the Ki

LAHi Presents: Seriously Trivial

On the fifth day of the festival, which marked the new year, the Kings of Babylon were slapped hard as part of a ceremonial purification of the city. The king would enter the temple of Marduk, chief god of Babylon, and tell Marduk hadn’t done anything wrong in the past year. The high priest would then rise and slap the king as hard as he can with an open hand, hoping that he would cry from the blow, as tears were a sign that the king was telling the truth, and that Marduk approved of his rule for another year.

Sources:

(Bidmead, Julye. The Akītu festival: religious continuity and royal legitimation in Mesopotamia. Piscataway, NJ, USA, Gorgias Press, 2014..

Zvielli, Alexander. “Slapping the king on the cheek in ancient Babylon.” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.Com, 27 Sept. 2014, www.jpost.com/Opinion/Slapping-the-king-on-the-cheek-in-ancient-Babylon-376438. Accessed 1 Sept. 2017.

Poster by: Nic Calilung