Balag

In Mesopotamia, a balag (or balaĝ) refers both to a Sumerian religious literary genre and also to a closely associated musical instrument. In Mesopotamian religion, Balag prayers were sung by a Gala priest as ritual acts were performed around the instrument. Sometimes the instrument itself was regarded as a minor deity, and every balag had a proper name. Despite the importance of the instrument in the rituals, its identity is disputed, but is generally thought to be either a drum or a string instrument such as a lyre. The purpose of the ritual involving this prayer and instrument was to soothe the local deity with pleasing sounds, while lamenting what may happen to the city should the god decide to abandon it. Balags were used from the Old Babylonian period to the Seleucid Empire.