5 Gioele Zisa THE LOSS OF MALE SEXUAL DESIRE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA www.degruyter.com ISSN 2567-6938 ISBN 978-3-11-075704-0 METR THE SERIES: MEDICAL TRADITIONS The series Medical Traditions is devoted to the transmission of the medical knowledge gained, in most cases, through a centuries-long practice and attested by an abundant textual corpus in handwritten form throughout world history. It publishes original monographs and collections of essays resulting from innovative, cross-disciplinary research aimed at providing both primary data for further developments and new insights on any facet of the complex process of conveying medical knowledge. Human communities have always been concerned about the loss of sexual desire and vigor. Mesopotamian men were no exception. This book is a collection of the Akkadian incantations, rituals, and prescriptions to treat the loss of male sexual desire. It aims to provide a critical edition of the textual corpus regarding the so-called nı ˉš libbi therapies. These therapies are here investigated using a multidisciplinary approach, ranging from philological and anthropological to gender theoretical perspectives. Overall, it seeks to address how theories and methodologies of Cultural Anthropology, Ethnopsychiatry and Gender Studies are useful for understanding Mesopotamian medical systems. MEDICAL TRADITIONS Gioele Zisa THE LOSS OF MALE SEXUAL DESIRE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA ›NĪŠ LIBBI‹ THERAPIES