An Assyrian tablet describing a ritual for a substitute king. When priests saw a bad omen aimed at the King, a commoner was found to replace him while he went in hiding. The man lived as the king absorbing the evil spirits until the omen passed, then he was killed and the king returned [3230×3791]

The tablet is from Nineveh in Iraq, and dates to the 7th century BCE.

[https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/solar-eclipse-substitute-king](https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/solar-eclipse-substitute-king)

[https://news.utexas.edu/2024/03/27/pity-the-substitute-king-eclipses-in-the-near-east/](https://news.utexas.edu/2024/03/27/pity-the-substitute-king-eclipses-in-the-near-east/)

I would hope that the replacement’s family got taken care of. Man, that’s a raw deal otherwise.