Real Life, Real Women
Here we will try to present real stories from clay tablets, accounts that involve women and their actions in society. Read and enjoy! As usual, sources will be given at the end of each post or posts for you to explore on your own, if you heart so desires.
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From Stephanie Dalley´s Mari and Karana - Two Old Babylonian cities (1984), Longman, London New York:
The tablets from Mari and Karana are full of good information about women, their status and behavior, their dress and manners. No other archives throughout two thousand years of early Mesopotamian history has so much to tell.
The Queens (1):
At Mari, the personal letters that passed between Zimri-Lim, the king, his queen Shibtu and their many daughters are well preserved and can be compared with the Rimah correspondence that passed between Aqba-hammu and his queen Iltani. We know more about them than about even the Assyrian queen Semiramis, for we still have few contemporary details about her life. For lesser females and their occupations within the place walls the great ration lists are a mine of information.
Queen Shibtu:
Shibtu was the daughter of Yarim-Lim and Gashera, the king and queen of Yamhad (Aleppo), where Zimri-Lim had probably spent his years of exile during the Assyrian interregnum. Shibtu and Zimri-Lim had many daughters who, like their parents, made dynastic marriages to secure alliance or loyalty in other states. For instance, a daugher named Ibbatum married Himdiya, the king of Andarik; another daughter, married Ibal-Addu, ruler of Ashlakka. Zimri-Lim had at least 11 daughters, perhaps all by his queen Shibtu, but the letters are almost silent on the subject of sons. There is a letter from Shibtu to Zimri-Lim saying:
"I have given birth to twins, a boy and a girl: may my lord rejoice!"
It may strike the modern reader as ood that the queen should give her husband the news in writing. But it serves to emphasize that letters were being written continually, and passed to and fro between different wings of the palace. Letter writing embraced domestic matters and daily trivia no less than weighty matters of state. Whether or not the twins survived, we cannot be sure; one letter referred to the death of a daughter, in which one man writes to another to say:
"Before the king reaches Mari, tell him that daughter is dead and may he understand; perhaps if the king were not to hear about that death of that daughter until he entered Mari, he would be too distressed".
Shibtu probably had a son named Yahdum=Lim after the famous drandfather, but this son died. There is a record of one silver memmum-crown or fillet, weighing about 4g, and a silver ring, for the grave of Yahdum-Lim, the king´s son".
Shibtu was a loving wife, often concerned for the health and safety of her husband, never complaining to him about her own condition, never angry, nor causing him to be angry.
"May my lord conquer his enemies and enter Mari in peace and joy of heart! Now, may mylord put on himself the tunic and coat that I have made!"
She wrote to him regularly, even if it was only to say "Mari, the temples and palace are well". At other times, she discussed in some detail some prophecies or omens that might affect his welfare, or provisions for the palace kitchens and storerooms or how newly-won captives were to be distributed in the palace workshops. She was no lady of leisure. Personal problems abounded in the many departments of the palace,a nd the queen was often requested to settle them. Zimri-Lim took the trouble to keep her informed of his movements.
(more on Queen Shibtu tomorrow ))
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We saw that king Zimri-Lim took the trouble of keeping his Queen Shibtu informed of his movements:
"As I send this letter to you, I have received the people of the town of Shenah and have made them give allegiance to me. I have set a governor in the citadel. After this letter, I shall depart for Urkish and promote goodwill. Then straight away I shall proceed from Urkish to Shuma and promote goodwill there. I am well and the troops are well. May news of the palace reach me regularly",
This letter in particular shows that Shibtu is not an ignorant and secluded wife relegated to a place of unimportance, but a well-informed participant in a large organization.
To enable her to carry out her responsibilities to her husband and to her numerous children, she had help. The wet nurse for infants and the nanny or governess for weaned children were established in society. One lady wrote desperately to Zimri-Lim to say:
"I am being robbed here: wipe away my tears! Sin-mushallim robbed me: he took my nanny and now she is living in his house. If my lord had taken her, and if she were living in my lord´s house, I wouldn´t mind, but it is Sin-mushallin who has robbed me. Now, because you make light throughout the land, make light for me too, and give me back my nanny, let me say a prayer to for you before Teshub and Hepat" (both are the chief Hurrian god and goddesses)
)) When Shibtu wrote to her husband, she usually addressed him as "my lord" and called herself "Shibtu, your servant" However, in the occasional letter to Zimri-Lim and to palace officials she calls herself by the epithet "Lady of the Land", which leaves us in no doubt tht she was the queen. Zimri-Lim´s daughters, on the other hand, wrote to him as "my father, my star", calling themselves "Your daughter".
Lishtar´s Note: Queen Shibtu therefore was the administrator of her palace, which is her home. However, we must remember that palaces in Mesopotamia were a large and complex structure, with workshops for clothmaking, metalwork, all sorts of crafts and arts, as well as large storehouses. To oversee such a home was no easy task, as Queen Shibtu was indeed the sovereign of her house.
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Re: Real Life, Real Women
Common women at the palace in Mari
On a lower level of society, children of working mothers accompanied the mother to work; the ration lists for groups of female textile workers - spinners and weavers - show that the mother was given an extra ration for her child, payment according to need and not just a standard wage for the job. The lists do not tell how old the children were, except for the occasional unweaned child, but probably there were simple tasks that they would be given from an early age.
Lishtar´s Note: So there was a sort of preoccupation with child care, as children stayed with the working mommy. How many important businesses have yet to build nurseries for the kids of their best women professionals?
It seems that Mesopotamians also in this respect... knew first, knew better and protected kid and mom better than we can at the dawn of the 21st century.
From the book by Professor Dalley on Mari and Karana earlier on referenced, page 99.
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Scholars are at present divided on the question of whether Zimri-Lim had more than one wife, or whether he kept a harem. Not long ago, the matter seemed dependent on a crucial word that was thought to mean "veil"; Zimri-Lim wrote to Shibtu asking her to select girls from a new group of captives, girls who had no blemish or brands (which were marks of a previous dedication to a temple, or of slavery). It now seems certain that these girls were to be trained as singers, perhaps for a particular type of cult singing, hence the emphasis on physical perfection, and that Shibtu was not being asked to choose a harem for her own husband. There is no clear evidence for segregation of women within the palace. Shibtu wrote to male officials and conversed directly with workshop managers when the king was not there. There is no evidence of eunuchs at this date, nor evidence for bolting all sections of the palace, with a particular official in charge of the locks. However, there is a possible term, damaged and occurring in a single text, for harem women, and "serving women of the king" are given a wine ration together with female musicians.
In my opinion (Professor Dalley´s), the royal harem as an institution probably came in during the Middle Assyrian period, several centuries later, when for the first time there were royal edicts that governed very strictly the behaviour of palace women and the behaviour of male palace staff towards them; at the same time, a new code of public laws dealt savagely with women´s rights and sexual behaviour, quite different from the laws of Hammurabi.
Before Assyrian timesfor instance, a woman´s dowry could never be taken by her husband. It remained her property for live and then went to her sons or back to her father´s family. Women could buy, own and sell real estate. If she married a bad husband, she could not be pledged to pay off the debts that he had incurred before marriage. If he illtreated her, she could leave him and take her dowry with her. A widow could not be driven out penniless. Orphaned brothers were compelled to provide a dowry for a young sister out of the deceased father´s estate. A husband who wanted to divorce a barren wife had not only to let her take her dowry, but also had to pay her separation money. Furthermore, women could not be punished for suspicion of adultery.
Thus, Assyrian times were much more severe to women, and we will examine some of these laws tomorrow.
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Re: Real Life, Real Women
Lishtar´s Note: Decided to skip the two atrocious examples of Assyrian severity towards women. Severity is the terms used by Professor Dalley. I would say cruelty. We are in Old Babylonian times. Assyrian times came much later. We move thus to queen Shibtu and king Zimri-Lim and Professor Dalley, surely:
At this period, there is no definite evidence for an organized harem. There is clear evidence, however, that the queen could travel without her husband within his kingdom. Zimri-Lim wrote to Shibtu saying:
"Now I am coming towards Mari; come to meet me in Saggaratum".
The same is true at Karana: there is no evidence for a harem, for eunuchs or a system of segregating palace women. Iltani, the queen, travelled without her husband within the kingdom of Karana. So the two groups of records give the same impression of women´s liberties within and without the home.
Next, we will see Zimri-Lim and his Chief Priestess (very likely conclusion from the records) called Adad-duri.
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King Zimri-Lim and Adad-duri
A woman who was closely associated with Zimri-Lim was Adad-duri. Her form of address is "Speak to my Lord, thus your servant", and she is full of pious hopes for Zimri-Lim´s safety. "The city Mari, the temples and the palace are well", she wrote, echoing the reassurance tht Shibtu often gave. "May the heart of my lord not be troubled... may my lord not neglect to guard himself!" Her letters chiefly contain information about omens and presages, and the minutieae of the cults and Zimri-Lim´s letters to her are also preoccupied with religious observances. There can be no doubt that Adad-duri was second only to Shibtu in importance among Mari women, and for that reason some scholars would see her as a second wife to Zimri-Lim. But in my opinion (Prof. Dalley´s and Lishtar agrees with her) this is unlikely; she sends no news of children, no handmade garments, and there is nothing in her letter that would not fit a powerful dowager, and energetic, elderly relative who took on the responsibility of ensuring that Zimri-Lim observed the will and needs of the deities in every way. Here is one of her letters; others will be found in the chapter on religion:
"Speak to my lord, thus your servant Adad-duri. About the golden breast ornaments of the goddess Anunittum, Ahum the priest came and said to me:'It is not the appropriate time to give them'. So when the throne of the goddess has been made, let an omen be taken and then let that gold be taken and manufactured for the throne of the goddess'.
Shibtu was more often concerned with food supplies and personnel, although she also reports on portentous visions and prophetic utterances.
Lishtar´s Note: Thus, both women, Shibtu and Adad-duri were probably trained into the arts of prophecy and divination. And both were close to the king, although Adad-duri certainly was a kind of vizier and trusted dearly with wise counsel.
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With Iltani, Shibtu´s counterpart in Karana, we clearly have an entirely different personality in a similar environment. Possibly Queen Iltani was older and had spent years in uncertain exile in eatern Mesopotamia, in the city of Eshunna. She worked hardat running the palace industries, in particular textiles and food, and had to meet her husband´s frequent, urgent demands for goods and personnel. In addition, she had to deal with many begging letters. She was concerned with her own health, worried, harassed, mean, querulous and indignant, as the following extracts from her letters show. Her husband wrote:"Hammi-suri told me that you have celebrated a festival and that nobody took any notice of you. What is this? I myself shall certainly take notice of you... I shall come myself and you will see what I will do to whoever ignores you!"
Lishtar´s Note: I must confess I understand Queen Iltani. A lot. She was probably trying to do all things and be good at all of them... at once... Hmmmm... she sounds ... so modern
Now, wait and see the complaints and requests she had to deal with!
She HAD good reasons to be a worrier...
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Re: Real Life, Real Women
An unknown correspondent, who calls himself "your brother" (which can be either an expression of kinship or of equal status) wrote: "Don´t worry. I instructed Igmil-Sin before his journey and he will put your anxieties and my anxieties to my lord´s son, and will do all he can to ease your worries. Until he comes, be quiet and let no word that you are worried escape from your mouth to everyone!"
Lishtar´s Note: It is quite refreshing to see that Iltani, the worrier extra-busy and probably a bit shy queen, was dearly loved by the men in her life. The brother in this letter, either real brother or a close friend, clearly agrees with the queen´s preoccupations because he adds to hers his own worries. Nevertheless, he advises Iltani well to keep quiet until the right moment to act.
hm... There is the possibility that the correspondent is also a worrier himself Nevertheless, he seems to be a good listening ear to the queen
I mean listening ear in our sense, and ... in the Mesopotamian too! The ear was the seat of wisdom: the sense the enabled Inner Listening. This is why Inanna "heard" the call to the Underworld. And the Cabala, may I remind you gently, means "from ear to mouth"
As Inanna sings in the courtship:
"What I tell you
Let it flow from ear to mouth
Let it pass from the old to young..."
Enjoy your weekend in all worlds you thread upon!
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Real Life, Real Women
We continue with the letters to Queen Iltani, begging her for all sorts of things. This letter is umissable because it is from a man...asking for servants! Here I go:
A man, named Rish-Adad, sent a letter begging Iltani for two men-servants or two female servants:
"May Adad and Geshtinanna heap honors on your head in the city where you dwell. I have written to you to ask how you are: send me news of yourself. You used to live in Eshunna, yet you have never remembered to mention my name, and you have not given me new life. Now you are living in Karana, and there is not a single one among my brothers whose names you have not brought to attention, yet not once for me, not even in the slightest respect, have you remembered my name, nor given me new life. I am not writing this letter to you for any specific favor. I am writing to you because you have never remembered my name'.
Irreverent notes by Lishtar : This Rish-Adad 1) did not want probably to do housework himself... so how modern he is... again!!! 2) He being such a bore, don´t we really understand why extra-busy and much too nice Queen Iltani never cared that much about him???? 3) His letter is a briliant piece of emotional blackmail... argh Are we really surprised that Queen Iltani have forgotten him??? Think NOT ))
Wait for tomorrow... the next letter is even better...
*chuckles Another lazy guy asking for servants... and this time Queen Iltani sent him... exactly what he deserved!
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Re: Real Life, Real Women
Continuing the saga of begging letters to Queen Iltani: another correspondent, Yasitna-abum, complains to the queen that the servant boy whom Iltani gave him is hopeless, far too young:
"Speak to Iltani: thus Yasitna-abum, your son. May Shamash and Marduk grant that my mother live forever for my sake. My mother called my name, and my heart came alive. Now, do send me a letter saying how you are, and give me new life. Whenever I reread your letter, the dust-storms of Adad [the weather god] are forgotten; my heart is replenished with life. The servant boy whom my mother sent to me is far too young. For that servant boy does not KEEP ME REGULARLY SUPPLIED; it is I who have to keep HIM supplied! Whenever I go on a journey, not even so much as 2 liters of bread for my ration is carried behind me. May my mother send me another servant boy who will be able to carry 10 liters of bread for my ration behind me, and who will be able really to help".
Lishtar´s Note: Queen Iltani, I guess, sent her lazy son exactly who and what he needed... a servant boy for him to take care of so that the lazy guy could learn to be responsible... Surely the guy seemed not to have learnt the lesson... but Queen Iltani tried...
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Queen Iltani was also harassed with letters full of appeals for justice. Queen Shibtu seemed not to have received pleas of this kind. Clearly Iltani´s life was not easy, and her husband´s urgent requests must have been an extra strain.
"Now I have sent you 25 kg of wool for 50 garments. Make those garments quickly: I need them",
"I shall take many garments with my tribute to Babylon. Send me as many as are available, immediately".
No doubt life was hard for him too, as the ruler of a small state trying to juggle with numerous alliances and to fulfil his obligations as a vassal of Hammurabi. One letter shows that he had a terrible temper and that it had been directed at Iltani. This is the way she replied to him:
"Speak to my lord; thus Iltani, thy servant. My lord wrote to me about letting go the oxen, sheep and the donkeys belonging to Tazabru, saying:'If you do not let them go, I shall cut you into twelve pieces.' That is what my lord wrote to me. Why has my lord written my death sentence to me? Only yesterday I spoke to my lord saying it was his own shepherd who had in the past kept his oxen and his sheep; he was pasturing them in Yashibatum. That is what I told my lord. Now, let my lord simply write that they are to take his oxen and sheep away from Yashibatum. If I have taken any of his oxen or sheep away, may my lord inflict punishment on me. Would I, without my lord´s permission, would I have laid my hands on and taken anything? Why then has my lord written my death sentence?"
Lishtar´s Note: When I first read this paragraph, I was first shocked. Then I realized that Iltani would not have written the letter she did to her hot-tempered husband had she not known him well.
It takes a lot of strength to reply to one´s husband the way Iltani did. She ezplained the wrong of his ways towards her, so her submissive posture is just totally dismissed by a closer reading of the text. Instead, Iltani questions her husband´s temper, attitude towards her and confront his rage with grounded arguments.
I still think Iltani´s husband exaggerated a bit.
The last sentence by Iltani though is crucial to support the argument that this letter is written from a position of strength and not weakness. "Why has my lord written my death sentence?" I see this sentence as Iltani´s determination to stand up by her values and to force her husband see how hot-tempered and impatient he was about his oxen and sheep.
Because deep down Iltani knew that she was right and that the husband would soon see sense and not to touch a strand of hair of Iltani´s.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Real Life, Real Women
Next, Professor Dalley gives us a long account of Iltani´s work as overseer of the textile business, something that is known in some detail from her archive. In the palace of Rimah, the "department of Iltani" comprised of some 15 women who spun and wove (2 of them with child), 10 male textile workers, 2 millers and a brewer, and 6 girls who worked in an unknown capacity. We also know that she had an accountant, but it was Iltani who checked all the work done by the accountant and sealed the material sent by him with her own seal. Iltani had a doorman and a man called Anda in charge of pack-asses.
Notes: As we can very well see, the queen of Karana was stressed-out and hard-working lady: the administrator of her home, the overseer of the textile business, mother and sister, as well as wife to the king, besides being the mighty queen the people could come to, even if through a message inscribed in clay tablets.
Letters normally start with "Speak to so-and-so, thus name of the sender". Letters could very well be written and read aloud for or by the receiver. Thus, one necessarily did not need to know how to read or write to send or write a letter in Ancient Mespotamia.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Real Life, Real Women
I was reading again yesterday´s second note, the one on the letters being also read out for the receiver. Was so dead tired yesterday that my explanation was not clear enough.
The scribal arts were an art and a business. Someone who could not read or write could perfectly go to a certified scribe and have him or her write the message desired for the prospective addressee. Likewise, if the addressee/receiver did not know how to read or write, s/he could have the message then read out by another professional scribe!
Indeed, we are talking of ... voice messages, ancient Mesopotamian style!!!
See how up-to-date they were... within their own context?
Sorry for having been so obtuse yesterday! Also, let me know when posts not that clear!
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Real Life, Real Women
A belated magickal comment on Queen Iltani´s letter to the king, when she confronted him with his obviously fake death sentence unto her for his sheep and oxen: I see Iltani´s reply as the balance between Severity and Mercy. She confronted the king´s bad temper from a standpoint of strength, courage and solid arguments. Severity/Gebuhra is about Righteous Rage, the power of the Sword that should cut out what must Be No More, whereas Mercy is Severity under the Scrutiny of Justice. Iltani is severe with the king by using his words, mentioning clearly the stupid death sentence thoughtlessly inflicted upon her in clay, merciful by allowing him time to review his behavior.
Also, it is interesting to point out that although patriarchy is starting to get settled in Mesopotamia, the strength of the great goddesses as role-models for women had not disappeared.
The power of Severity tempered with Mercy is one of the challenges we have to face to counteract the shocking newslines we are flooded with every time we get our papers or swtich the telly for the latest news.
For to be Severe is also to protect the weak (who are in greater numbers too, let us not forget) and society against the greatest evils. Many though cannot live up to the responsibilities of their own choices and acts, which is also one of the Mysteries of the Initiation of Gebuhra.
All in all, in the Western Mystery Tradition and the Cabala, one can only learn about Mercy once one has survived the scrutiny and Judgement of Gebuhra.
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Re: Real Life, Real Women
The Role and Position of Women
The queens´ activities were not restricted to the traditionally distaff side of production: to textiles and food. They were in some ways connected with metals too. Iltani, Queen of Karana, personally received copper from her subordinate Kissurum, and Gashera, Queen of Halab, received an allocation of tin "separate from the allocation of tin to her husband Yarim-Lim. We may infer from a letter in which Aqba-hammu tells Iltani to deliver drinking vessels to his messenger that Iltani was trusted to handle precious goods, although there is no direct evidence that she had a say in the design of these luxury items.
Important note: The post of cupbearer was important because he was in charge of the king´s wine and perhaps tasted it for poison. But if the information about drinking vessels is interpreted correctly, he may have been responsible for a very large quantity of precious metals, virtually the palace treasury. Remember that Sagon, the Akkadian, was the cupbearer of the king, and then, by an obscure coup d'état rises to the throne and become the first monarch to unify South and Center Mesopotamia in an empire. Sargon is the father of Enheduanna, the first author in world literature.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Real Life, Real Women
Cool, more very interesting stuff!
Quote:Lishtar´s Note: So there was a sort of preoccupation with child care, as children stayed with the working mommy. How many important businesses have yet to build nurseries for the kids of their best women professionals?
It seems that Mesopotamians also in this respect... knew first, knew better and protected kid and mom better than we can at the dawn of the 21st century.
I have noticed that ANE women were far ahead of modern times in many respects, from inheritance and divorce rights to birth control...How long have modern women had these things? a little over a hundred years, if that?
I can hear the Sumerian noble ladies' comment now: "You went with some petty barbarian kingdom's rules for treating women instead of ours??"
I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it. -Voltaire
))
However, in the occasional letter to Zimri-Lim and to palace officials she calls herself by the epithet "Lady of the Land", which leaves us in no doubt tht she was the queen. Zimri-Lim´s daughters, on the other hand, wrote to him as "my father, my star", calling themselves "Your daughter".
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