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LiveScience
LiveScience
Chaya Kasif

Gender ambiguity was a tool of power 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia

An 8th century BCE gypsum relief from modern-day Iraq depicts a king and his chief ša rēši. .

Today, trans people face politicization of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society.

But in some of history's earliest civilizations, gender-diverse people were recognized and understood in a wholly different way.

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