Ancient Mesopotamian texts show witchcraft fears go back more than 4,500 years
Witchcraft appears in Mesopotamian texts from around 1900 BCE, much older than European witch trials.
The earliest written evidence of witchcraft comes from a Sumerian epic called The Tale of Enmerkar and Ensuḫkešdanna, written around 1900 BCE. In the story, a wise woman named Saĝburu uses magic to turn fish eggs into animals.
Saĝburu defeats a sorcerer in a supernatural battle by the Euphrates River. The Codex of Hammurabi came later, created during Hammurabi's reign (about 1790 to 1750 BCE).
It set rules for witchcraft accusations. The accused had to enter a river.
If they survived, the gods deemed them innocent. By the start of the 1st millennium BCE, priests called the ašipu performed rituals called the Maqlú.
These rituals protected people from witchcraft. They made figurines of suspected witches and burned them to reverse spells.
- Euphrates River
- Battle location
- Five animal battles
- Magical exchanges
- Saĝburu, wise woman
- Key character
Why it mattersUnderstanding witchcraft beliefs across ancient cultures shows how societies have long feared unseen magical harm and created formal systems to address it.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, but the story enriches how Australians understand the global history of witchcraft beyond European witch trials.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
