Dossiers

Gula: The Sumerian Goddess of Doctors and the Healing Arts

Gula (also known as Ninkarrak) is the Sumerian goddess of healing and patroness of doctors, healing arts, and medical practices. She is first attested to in the Ur III period (circa 2112 to circa 2004 BCE), where she is referenced as a great goddess of health and well-being. She was among the most…

Gula's deep roots in Ur III Mesopotamia as a formalized healing deity raises questions about what codified medical knowledge preceded her cult — and who first organized that knowledge into divine patronage. The goddess-as-physician archetype recurs across
Source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Gula/

Original author: Joshua J. Mark

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