Dragons of the Ishtar Gate

Some folks say that dragons never existed. They claim that stories about dragons are either totally fictional fantasies or symbols and allegories for epic struggles (such as, good against evil or Christianity against paganism). If we are going to dismiss the stories with dragons, what can we say about the ancient images?
In 1902, German archaeologist Robert Koldewey achieved great acclaim for excavating historic sites in Iraq including the walls of the ancient city of Babylon, the original “Tower of Babel,” the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and the foundations of what Koldewey thought was the Hanging Gardens (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). As Koldewey unearthed the walls around the great city, he uncovered a spectacular gateway covered with blue glazed tiles and a broad processional roadway leading through the gate and into the heart of the city. Parts of this impressive ancient gate and road, dating back to approximately 600 BC, have been reconstructed in Berlin using many materials from the archaeological excavation while a smaller reproduction of the gate was reconstructed in Iraq (but has been damaged by the war).

The beautiful blue gate and the processional have relief carvings of three animals; lions along the road, with aurochs (a species of now-extinct cattle) and some unidentified animals on the gate. These animals are currently believed to be sirrush (or dragons), in part because of the region’s connection with Marduk. See “Tiamat: Babylonian Dragon of Creation.”
The patron builder of these mighty works was the same King Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel in the King James Version of the Bible. In other texts not included in the King James Version of the Bible, there are additional stories of Daniel and the King of Babylon from this same time frame. In the apocryphal story, “Bel and the Dragon,” the King of Babylon owned a dragon which the people revered. The king confronted Daniel regarding the dragon, asking why Daniel would not also worship this dragon. Daniel never denied that the dragon was real but refuted the claim that the dragon was a deity to be worshipped. Daniel fed the dragon barley cakes with pitch (tar) that burst open upon consumption and kills the dragon. This act may have been what led to Daniel’s famous punishment of being thrown into the lion’s den, from which he emerged unharmed through miraculous intervention of Daniel’s Hebrew God.
It seems remarkable that there can be these references to an ancient animal that never existed alongside animals that obviously do (or did) exist, as is the case with the Ishtar Gate. The confrontation with Daniel and the King of Babylon never debates the physical presence of a dragon, only the question of the extent of its power. Perhaps dragons once existed and have since been hunted to extinction, like the aurochs.
Please visit the Folklore Store for dragon gifts and stories.