From one of the Songs of Inana and Dumuzi, the world's oldest body of love poetry, mostly spoken to the Goddess Inana by the young shepherd god Dumuzi. The odest texts date to around 2000 BC:
Maiden, colorful as a pile of grain, fit for the king,
Inana, colorful as a pile of grain, fit for Dumuzi!
Maiden, you are a shock of two-row barley, fully developed in loveliness,
Inana, you are a shock of two-row barley, fully developed in loveliness!
I mean, what could be more beautiful than a shock of two-row barley?
I imagine if I lived in 2000 BC, I'd view ripe food crops as one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever lay eyes.
ReplyDeleteI do find it interesting that the variety of barley is specified - "two-row" barley is largely considered to be superior for brewing into beer (because it is lower in protein), while "six-row" barley is favored for feeding livestock (because it is higher in protein). Apparently in the modern day, breeding programs have eliminated most of the meaningful difference between the two, but historically they were fairly different, it seems, and the distinction between barley fit for beer and barley fit for animal feed was greater.