THE SOUND OF WATER: THE ROLE OF WATER IN CONSTRUCTING FORMS OF RELIGIOSITY IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

Water is a quintessential element in human life. In fact, up to 60% of the human body is composed of water. But water doesn’t have neither a clear color, a strong smell or a distinctive taste. Thus, in order to recognize it, it is the sound of water that becomes pivotal for humans in their search for water sources. This is especially the case of the Near East where the lack of water resources makes them become vital for consumption as well as for supporting agro-pastoral economic resources. But water, its flowing and, especially, its sound are constantly embedded in religious beliefs and practices becoming a source for the materializa- tion of religious beliefs among ancient Near Eastern societies.