I'm sure the word "invented" is not the best choice, but basically I question this because I'm currently reading The Exaltation of Inana translation.
here's the link: etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk (for some reason, this link, although matching what I'm currently reading, brings you to their main page. But if you Google the quote, the first option is what I am referring to; it will take you to the writing.)
and in the first stanza, the 3rd to last sentence says, "Like a dragon you have deposited venom on the foreign lands."
I suppose I am confused...Inana dates back to 2300 BC, while the "invention" of dragons doesn't appear in history until 1260 AD.
am I missing something? could someone explain to me? thank you
If your 1260 date originates, as I suspect, in the Wikipedia article 'Dragon', the answer is implied there:
The oldest recognizable image of a fully modern, western dragon
The claim is that that's the oldest recognisable image of the stereotypical western dragon.
As /u/HiggetyFlough points out, the creature you've been reading about is called something different in Sumerian; the same applies to dragons around the world. The main thing they have in common, other than some sort of serpent-like features, is that they get translated into English as 'dragon'.
Here's a great older answer by /u/mdhs that elaborates on this point. The basis idea is that 'dragons' are an artificial category, produced by conflating lots of different kinds of creatures in the process of translation.
While I’m sure one of our resident folklore experts can give you a history of dragons and how numerous and disparate mythical creatures have been put under the label of “dragon,” I can address the example in your post. According to the original Sumerian text, the term translated as dragon is “ usumgal “. This mythological creature has been described as a venomous winged-lion as well as a great serpent, so one can understand the translation of the word into dragon to make it understandable for audiences removed from the context of Akkad.