From Clay Tablets to Cure: Inside an Early Medical Education Establishment in the Ancient City of Aššur

Ghanim Alsheikh; Omar Mustafa

Article Details

From Clay Tablets to Cure: Inside an Early Medical Education Establishment in the Ancient City of Aššur

Authors:

Ghanim Alsheikh | Omar Mustafa

Publisher:

University of Kirkuk

Journal:

Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.14 Issue 1, pp.5-9

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001930617

pISSN:

2790-0207

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Clay tablets and cuneiform manuscripts offer a rare window into medical education and training in the Neo-Assyrian period (c. 725–614 BCE). This article reviews recently published in-depth scholarship that reconstructs the life and work of Kiṣir-Aššur—a magico-medical practitioner, physician, and exorcist—and situates his practice within a multigenerational scholarly household in the ancient city of Aššur. As a descendant of Bāba-šuma-ibni, the presumed founder of a family of healers, Kiṣir-Aššur inherited not only a corpus of texts but also a tradition of apprenticeship and communal mentorship. Evidence from the House of Bāba-šuma-ibni (House N4) suggests a structured, integrated ritual–medical curriculum marked by progressive responsibilities, text-based learning, and early exposure to healing practice. Taken together, these findings highlight how scholarly households shaped Neo-Assyrian medicine and preserved professional standards through teaching, practice, and the transmission of specialized knowledge.

Article Details

From Clay Tablets to Cure: Inside an Early Medical Education Establishment in the Ancient City of Aššur

Authors:

Ghanim Alsheikh | Omar Mustafa

Publisher:

University of Kirkuk

Journal:

Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.14 Issue 1, pp.5-9

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001930617

pISSN:

2790-0207

Neo-Assyrian Period

Aššur

medical education

Scholarly households

Issues

Article Details

From Clay Tablets to Cure: Inside an Early Medical Education Establishment in the Ancient City of Aššur

Authors: Ghanim Alsheikh | Omar Mustafa

Publisher: University of Kirkuk

Journal: Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.14 Issue 1, pp.5-9

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2026

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001930617

pISSN: 2790-0207

Neo-Assyrian Period

Aššur

medical education

Scholarly households

Issues

Authors:

Ghanim Alsheikh | Omar Mustafa

Publisher:

University of Kirkuk

Journal:

Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.14 Issue 1, pp.5-9

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2026

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001930617

pISSN:

2790-0207