ABSTRACT
Introduction As early as the end of the third millennium bce, Mesopotamian texts mention the topic of disability. There is a rich variety of excavated cuneiform documents demonstrating different perceptions of disabilities. These documents include myths, lexical lists, provision lists, medical and magic literature, omina (systematic collections of omens), curses (in inscriptions), prayers, royal inscriptions, letters, proverbs and wisdom literature. This wide spectrum is important for our understanding of disability. Less important are geographic and political differences (the city-states and proto-empires including Assyria in the upper part of Mesopotamia and Babylonia in the lower part competed for supremacy).
