This paper examines the demons Pazuzu and Lamaštu from a cognitive science perspective. As hybrid creatures, the iconography of these demons combines an array of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic properties, and is therefore marked by a high degree of conceptual complexity. In a technical sense, they are what cognitive researchers refer to as radically “counterintuitive” representations. However, highly complex religious concepts are difficult in terms of cognitive processing, memory, and transmission, and, as a result, are prone to being spontaneously simplified in structure. Accordingly, there is reason to expect that the material images of Pazuzu and Lamaštu differed from the corresponding mental images of these demons. Specifically, it is argued here that in ancient cognition and memory, the demons would have been represented in a more cognitively optimal manner. This hypothesis is further supported by a detailed consideration of the full repertoire of iconographic and textual sources.

本文从认知科学的角度考察了恶魔帕祖祖（Pazuzu）和拉玛斯图（Lamaštu）。作为杂种生物，这些恶魔的肖像结合了一系列拟人和人形特性，因此具有高度的概念复杂性。从技术上讲，它们是认知研究人员所谓的根本上的“反直觉”表示。但是，高度复杂的宗教概念在认知加工，记忆和传播方面很困难，因此易于自发地简化结构。因此，有理由期望帕祖祖和拉玛斯图的物质意象不同于这些魔鬼的相应心理意象。具体来说，这里有人认为，在古代的认知和记忆中，恶魔本来会以一种更为认知的最佳方式表现出来。对这一假说的进一步考虑是对图像和文本来源的完整目录的详细考虑。