Mysterious handbags depicted in ancient carvings
In “Magicians of the Gods” Graham Hancock points out the similarity of the “handbag” images seen in Göbekli Tepe pillars, stone reliefs made by the Assyrians of ancient Iraq and the Olmecs of ancient Mesoamerica. The same symbol (handbag or bucket) was used by different cultures in different times in different locations around the globe. This is very curious.
( Metropolitan Museum of Art )
For more photographs of ancient carvings holding these mysterious handbags see this webpage by Dato Gomarteli.
Few interpretations of the bag/bucket symbol:
“The semi-circle of the handbag, the straps, represents the hemisphere of the sky, while the square shape represents the earth.” — Archaeology World
“For instance, could these containers (whether they are bags or buckets) be the symbols of office of an initiatic brotherhood — far traveled and deeply ancient, with roots reaching back into the remotest prehistory?” — Graham Hancock in “Magicians of the Gods”
“Although explanatory texts regarding these objects are exceedingly rare, it does seem likely that they were together employed in rituals of purification, as revealed by their Akkadian (Aka Assyrian, Babylonian) names: banddudû (“bucket”) and mullilu (“purifier”).” — Wikipedia
I sometimes quote from Jean C. Cooper. Her book “An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols” is one of my favorite books. You can learn more about her here and here. She writes this about the “bag” symbol:
“Bag: Secrecy; containing; hiding; the winds; Aeolus has a bag of winds. The bag of the Celtic sea-god Manannan contained all the treasures in the world.” — J.C. Cooper
Author’s articles on physics and philosophy: sureshemre.wordpress.com