Women in Mesopotamia
By M. Stol
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 38, No. 2 (1995)
Abstract: A succinct but comprehensive survey is given on what we know on women in anclent Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria (with an occasional remark on Syria) covering the time span of roughly 3000-300 B.C. Thanks to the rich archival material we are well informed about her social position, in particular the status of a married or widowed wife. Marriage is the most important topic in this article. Attention is also paid to women at work and in religion. Differences in regon and time are pointed out.
Introduction: ‘Mesopotamia’ in this contribution is the world of Sumer (roughly from 3000 to 2000 B C.), and of Babylonia and Assyria (2000-331 B C.), after which the Greek dominance by the Seleucid kings began. In terms of modern geography, it covers Iraq and the eastern part of Syria. Sometimes, we will make remarks on ‘the West’, i.e., ancient Syria, Phoenicia, and Israel. Rich in archival material is ‘Nuzi’, a city in the kingdom of Arrapha (ca. 1500-1350), in the region of modern Kerkuk. Its culture was influenced by the Hurrians and for that reason may be somewhat marginal to us.
The documentary evidence on women in Mesopotamia is quite impressive. Our main sources are the family archives and letters, written in cuneiform writing on the clay tablets that have withstood the hazards of time. There are many thousands of them. Collections of laws often allow us a deeper insight into the position of woman in society Those laws reflect customary law with some modifications added by the lawgiver, the king It has been shown that the laws of Hammurabi were observed, at least during his own time; the same is true for the Neo-Babylonian laws. Tablet A of the Middle Assyrian lawbook is entirely concerned with women. Landsberger thought that this composition was to some extent Professorenrecht which means that some sections are not common law.
The voices of the women themselves are occasionally heard in their letters and a few literary texts.
Click here to read/download this article (PDF file)
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Women in Mesopotamia
By M. Stol
Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 38, No. 2 (1995)
Abstract: A succinct but comprehensive survey is given on what we know on women in anclent Sumer, Babylonia, and Assyria (with an occasional remark on Syria) covering the time span of roughly 3000-300 B.C. Thanks to the rich archival material we are well informed about her social position, in particular the status of a married or widowed wife. Marriage is the most important topic in this article. Attention is also paid to women at work and in religion. Differences in regon and time are pointed out.
Introduction: ‘Mesopotamia’ in this contribution is the world of Sumer (roughly from 3000 to 2000 B C.), and of Babylonia and Assyria (2000-331 B C.), after which the Greek dominance by the Seleucid kings began. In terms of modern geography, it covers Iraq and the eastern part of Syria. Sometimes, we will make remarks on ‘the West’, i.e., ancient Syria, Phoenicia, and Israel. Rich in archival material is ‘Nuzi’, a city in the kingdom of Arrapha (ca. 1500-1350), in the region of modern Kerkuk. Its culture was influenced by the Hurrians and for that reason may be somewhat marginal to us.
The documentary evidence on women in Mesopotamia is quite impressive. Our main sources are the family archives and letters, written in cuneiform writing on the clay tablets that have withstood the hazards of time. There are many thousands of them. Collections of laws often allow us a deeper insight into the position of woman in society Those laws reflect customary law with some modifications added by the lawgiver, the king It has been shown that the laws of Hammurabi were observed, at least during his own time; the same is true for the Neo-Babylonian laws. Tablet A of the Middle Assyrian lawbook is entirely concerned with women. Landsberger thought that this composition was to some extent Professorenrecht which means that some sections are not common law.
The voices of the women themselves are occasionally heard in their letters and a few literary texts.
Click here to read/download this article (PDF file)
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