WOMEN IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTWOMEN IN ANCIENT NEAR EASTGENERAL REMARKSEARLIEST PERIODS OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTWOMEN HAD MORE STATUS & RIGHTS BY TIME OF ASSYRIANS (CONTEMPORARY WITH ANCIENT HEBREWS)EROSION OF WOMEN'S LEGAL & MARITAL RIGHTSSOURCES USED FOR WOMEN'S HISTORYLAW CODESEARLIEST EXTANT CODE OF HAMMURABI C. 1750 B.CMIDDLE ASSYRIAN LAWS FROM 15-11TH C. B.C.OLD TESTAMENTRECORDED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LATTER PART 9TH &EARLY PART 8TH C. B.CBUT BASED ON LAWS FORMULATED & IN USE FOR AS MANY AS 300 YRS EARLIERSO 1000 YRS OF LAW CODES CAVEAT IMPORTANTWE LEARN MORE ABOUT VALUES OF SOCIETY MORE THAN WE LEARN ABOUT ACTUALITIESTHESE CODES POINT UP PROBLEMS SOCIETY HAVINGCLAY TABLETSTHOUSANDS TRANSLATEDTHOUSANDS STILL LEFT TO BE TRANSLATEDIN PAST HISTORIANS NOT LOOKING FOR WOMEN'S ISSUES - NOW AREMYTHS & LEGENDSEPIC OF GILGAMESHENCAPSULATES WHOLE PHILOSOPHY OF ANCIENT SUMER WOMEN'S ROLE IN FAMILYMARRIAGE & DIVORCE IN HAMMURABI CODE C. 1700 B.C.SOME 300 LAWS TO REGULATE SOCIETYSPECIAL ATTENTION TO MARRIAGE & FAMILY REGULATIONPROSPECTIVE GROOM & FATHER OF FUTURE BRIDE ARRANGED EVERYTHINGMAN OFFERED FATHER BRIDAL GIFT, USUALLY MONEYIF MAN & HIS BRIDAL GIFT ACCEPTABLEFATHER PROVIDED HIS DAUGHTER W/DOWRYAFTER MARRIAGE DOWRY BELONGED TO WOMANALTHOUGH HUSBAND NORMALLY ADMINISTERED ITDOWRY MEANS OF PROTECTING WIFE'S RIGHTS & STATUSMARRIAGE LEGAL WITH CONTRACTFATHERS OFTEN CONTRACTED MARRIAGES WHILE THEIR CHILDREN STILL YOUNGGIRL EITHER CONTINUED TO LIVE IN HER FATHER'S HOUSE UNTIL SHE REACHED MATURITY OR WENT TO LIVE IN HOUSE OF HER FATHER-IN-LAWDURING THIS TIME SHE LEGALLY CONSIDERED WIFEONCE THEY CAME OF AGETHEY SAT UP THEIR OWN HOUSEWIFE EXPECTED TO BE FAITHFULPENALTY FOR ADULTERY - DEATHACCORDING TO HAMMURABI'S CODE:IF THE WIFE OF A MAN HAS BEEN CAUGHT WHILE LYING W/ANOTHER MAN, THEY SHALL BIND THEM AND THROW THEM INTO THE WATERHUSBAND HAD POWER TO SPARE HIS WIFE BY OBTAINING PARDON FOR HER FROM KINGHUS. COULD ACCUSE WIFE OF ADULTERY EVEN IF HE HAD NOT CAUGHT HER IN ACTIN SUCH A CASE SHE COULD TRY TO CLEAR HERSELF BEFORE CITY COUNCILWHICH INVESTIGATED CHARGEIF SHE FOUND INNOCENT, SHE COULD TAKE HER DOWRY & LEAVE HER HUSBANDHUSBAND LEGALLY RECOGNIZED AS HEAD OF FAMILY HUSBAND - ABSOLUTE POWER OVER HIS HOUSEHOLDOWNER OF WIFE & CHILDRENTO HONOR DEBT, HE COULD PAWN OR SELL THEM AS THOUGH MERELY OBJECTSFOR 3 YRS CONCUBINAGE & OTHER FORMS OF RELATIONSHIPSHUSBAND LEGAL FOR 1 PRINCIPAL WIFE & CONCUBINES & SLAVES FOR HIS DESIRES & ALSO TO ENSURE DESCENDANTSCHILDLESS WIFE TO PROVIDE CONCUBINE FOR HER HUSBAND SO HEMIGHT HAVE CHILDRENWHY?INCREASED IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING PRIVATE PROPERTY WITH FAMILYCONCUBINE SERVED DUAL FUNCTIONSEXUAL SERVICES FOR MASTER & SERVANT TO WIFENOTE O.T. EXAMPLESSARAH, ABRAHAM & HAGARRACHEL, JACOB & BILHAHCONCUBINAGE CAN RAISE HER STATUS IF HAVE SONS& CONCUBINE COULD BE FREED IF HAD SONSISLAMIC LAW TOOBY TIME OF HITTITES, C 1700-1200 B.C, LEVIRATE MARRIAGE PREVAILEDANCIENT ASSYRIANS & HEBREWS WILL FOLLOW SUITDIVORCEDIVORCE FOR HUSBAND EASYHE ONLY TO DECLARE HIS WIFE BARREN OR SPENDTHRIFT OR HAD BELITTLED HIMFOR WIFE TO SEEK DIVORCE DEADLY GAMBLESHE MUST SUBMIT TO INVESTIGATIONMOTHERHOODMOTHER OF SONS ENJOYED MORE SECURITY & PRIVILEGES THAN WOMAN WHO BORNE ONLY DAUGHTERS OR CHILDLESS WIFEFOR 30 DAYS AFTER GIVING BIRTH BABYLONIAN WOMAN RITUALLY UNCLEANAS DURING HER MONTHLY PERIODDURING HER MONTHLY PERIOD SHE CONTAMINATED EVERYTHING 2SHE TOUCHEDWHETHER BREAD SHE MADEOR MAN WHO APPROACHED HERAFTER HER PERIOD SHE HAD TO PURIFY HERSELFEITHER BY TAKING BATHOR WASHING HER HANDSREGULATION OF FEMALE SEXUALITYPROSTITUTIONEPIC OF GILGAMESH HAS SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT PROSTITUTIONTALE OF HIS ADVENTURES BEGINS WITH PEOPLE OF HIS CITY, URUK MUTTERING COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIMHIS LUST LEAVES NO VIRGIN TO HER LOVER, NEITHER THE WARRIOR'S DAUGHTER NOR THE WIFE OF THE NOBLEMANTO TAKE HIS MIND OFF SUCH UNDIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES,GODDESS ARURU CREATES ENKIDUGILGAMESH SENDS HARLOT FROM TEMPLE OF LOVE, A CHILD OF PLEASURE TO FIND & TAME HIMNO STIGMA FOR PROSTITUTES IN SUMERIAN TIMES OR LATER IN BABYLONIALIST OF FEMALE PROFESSIONS OF SCRIBES, DOCTORS & COOKS INCLUDES PROSTITUTESTEMPLES OF VARIOUS DEITIES STAFFED NOT ONLY BYPRIESTS, SERVANTS, ARTISANS, MUSICIANSBUT BY SACRED PROSTITUTESEXACT PURPOSE OF SACRED PROSTITUTION IS OBSCUREORIGIN PERHAPS IN FERTILITY RITUALSSACRED PROSTITUTES CLASSIFIED INTO GROUPSBY HISTORICAL TIMES, SACRED PROSTITUTES' EARNINGS ACCOUNTED FOR SUBSTANTIAL PART OF TEMPLES' INCOMEOFTEN GIRL'S PARENTS SET HER TO TRADEPROBABLY AS LESS COSTLY THAN DOWRY FOR MARRIAGE RAPE & INCESTVARIOUS LAWS AGAINST RAPE INCORPORATED PRINCIPLEINJURED PARTY HUSBAND OR FATHER OF RAPED WOMANVICTIM UNDER OBLIGATION TO PROVE SHE HAD RESISTED RAPE BY STRUGGLING OR SHOUTINGIF RAPE COMMITTED IN COUNTRY OR ISOLATED PLACE GUILT OF RAPIST TAKEN FOR GRANTEDSINCE WOMAN'S CRIES COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HEARDHAMMURABIC LAW PUNISHED MOTHER-SON INCEST WITH DEATH FOR BOTH PARTIESBUT PROVIDES ONLY BANISHMENT FROM CITY FOR FATHER WHO COMMITS INCEST WITH HIS DAUGHTERABORTIONNO ACTION AGAINST IT FOR ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIANSBY TIME OF ASSYRIANS VERY STRICT LAWS AGAINST ABORTIONIMPALEMENT ON STAKENO BURIAL AFTER DEATHSLAVERYSLAVERY FIRST ENSLAVED WOMENCAPTIVES OF WARKEEPING OF MALE PRISONERS OF WAR DANGEROUS3WOMEN MORE DOCILE & USED NOT ONLY FOR DOMESTIC SERVANTS BUT FOR SEXUAL PURPOSESIMPACT ON CONQUERED OF RAPE OF THEIR WOMEN TWOFOLDIT DISHONORED WOMEN& BY IMPLICATION SERVED AS SYMBOLIC CASTRATION OF THEIR MENPRACTICE OF RAPING WOMEN OF CONQUERED GROUP ENDEMIC PART OF WARFARE & CONQUEST FROM2ND MILLENNIUM B.C. TO PRESENTMASTER HAD RIGHT TO FEMALE SLAVE'S LABOR BUT HER BODYINCLUDED OTHER MALE MEMBERS OF FAMILYSLAVE WOMAN COULD ALSO BE HIRED OUT AS PROSTITUTEWITH MASTER GETTING MONEYPERVASIVE PRACTICE THROUGHOUT ANCIENT WORLDSLAVE GIRLS FILLED HAREMS & BROTHELS OF ANCIENTSYWOMEN'S ROLE IN POWER STRUCTUREGENERAL REMARKSKU-BABA1ST WOMAN RULER KNOWN IN HISTORYRULED KISH CA. 245O B.C.BEGAN AS TAVERN KEEPER OR ALE-WIFEENHEDUANNAFAMOUS RULER SARGON'S DAUGHTERONE OF MOST FAMOUS WOMEN IN ANCIENT HISTORYFATHER APPOINTED HER CHIEF PRIESTESS OF GODS AT CITIES OF UR & URUKSHE ALSO HAD POLITICAL DUTIESTEN ROYAL PRIESTESSES FOLLOWED ENHEDUANNA OVER NEXT 500 YRSEACH HELD OFFICE FOR LIFEMARRIAGE WAY FOR WOMEN TO BE IN POWER STRUCTUREMANY ROYAL WOMEN HELPED LEGITIMATE KING'S SUCCESSION TO THRONENOT ONLY RULERS, BUT THEIR SPOUSES INCLUDED IN RECORDSSOME QUEENS HELD THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT COURTSCOMPLETE WITH MINISTERS, ETC.OWN SEALSDOCUMENTATION DATED BY THEIR