A hybrid creature with mysterious 'power' in a 2,000-year-old ancient temple

Evidence of ancient animal breeding techniques has been discovered in bas-reliefs in an ancient temple in Iraq.

The bas-relief is a decorative strip at one of the entrances to the ancient temple of Allat, a well-preserved 2,000-year-old relic in the Kingdom of Hatra in northern Iraq, according to the state Commission on Antiquities and Heritage.

The ancient temple and relief depict three different camel species, one of which is a hybrid of the other two.

The ancient sculptor depicted a king's head surrounded by two rows of camels, five on each side. Tests showed that the camels at the top of each row were a mixture of two different camel species: Dromedaries and Bactrian camels. Dromedaries camels are a local breed while Bactrian camels are of Central Asian origin.

According to Ancient Origins, this was clearly a way of emphasizing camel breeding under that king - who reigned in the 2nd century AD - that he was eager to introduce to the world.

The kingdom of Hatra, first recognized in AD 140, was highly commercial and heavily reliant on large camel herds.

The king on the relief is identified as Sanatruq I, the first king of the kingdom. He cemented his position by sponsoring the camel farming industry and "advertising" his achievements, including promoting research into the breeding of animals, which could produce offspring. More advantages, healthier.

So, in other words, the camels bred of that period served as a "guardian god" for the king, and that was also the reason they had such an important place in the sacred ancient temple.

The study has just been published in the scientific journal Antiquity.