A discussion of Visualizing the Invisible with the Human Body, Physiognomy and Ekphrasis in the Ancient World, edited by J. Cale Johnson and Alessandro Stavru, that focuses on what common ground the numerous ancient cultures that the book encompasses share and on how this bears on the study of Mesopotamian culture. How to cite: Geller, M. J. Labeling Thoughts. Aestimatio: Sources and Studies in the History of Science (2023) 4: 1-7. https://doi.org/10.33137/aestimatio.v4.43078