The status of women in the Ancient East: peculiarities of marriage and family relations in Mesopotamia

Keywords: Ancient Mesopotamia, Sumer, woman, marriage, naditum, entum, prostitution, law.

Abstract

The main criteria of social differentiation of women in the first state formations of the Middle Ages have been studied. The influence of religion on the formation of understanding of the place and role of women in society has been shown. Peculiarities of marriage and family relations in ancient Mesopotamia have been considered. The factors determining the social hierarchy of women in the ancient civilizations of the Biennial have been determined and analyzed. The causes of temple and street mass prostitution have been clarified. Features of the position of female slaves have been described.

The work is based on the principle of historicism. When studying primary sources, comparative legal, hermeneutic methods and systematic analysis were used. The anthropological method was used when revealing the worldview of the people of that time and their values, the gender method was used when studying the status of women in the state institutions of the Middle Ages.

It was concluded that the social position of women in ancient Mesopotamia was not unambiguous. Religion influenced a person's worldview, the understanding of the nature of a woman, her place and role in society. The rite of “sacred marriage” was one of the significant religious rituals, which encouraged the reproduction of similar sacred acts in worldly life, and became the ideological basis of the activity of the priests of Mezhyrechya. On the basis of the analysis of the legislation of the state institutions of the time, the purpose of marriage was determined, that is the birth and upbringing of children who were to inherit and multiply the family property and perform the necessary sacred rites, which were to help the dead in the afterlife. The inability to have children became the reason for divorce, as a rule, at the husband's will. The wife also had the right to initiate the divorce process in the municipal court, but under certain circumstances specifically defined by law.

The most influential in society were the high priestesses – entum and naditum, who were related by blood to the famous families of Mesopotamia. They had wealth, broad socio-economic rights and the greatest social protection. Prostitutes and slaves were the least protected. It is noted that the origins of modern problems of gender inequality can be seen in the distant past, in the ancient world, in particular in Mesopotamia, which had a significant impact on European civilization. Women's History The Biennial provides grounds for asserting that solving the problems of gender inequality is not possible only by changing the legislation. A comprehensive approach is necessary, which would take into account such components as religion, culture, law, economy, psychology, etc.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

I. A. Lohvynenko, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs

Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor.
Department of Theory and History of State and Law.

Ye. S. Lohvynenko, Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs

Candidate of Law, Associate Professor.
Department of Constitutional and International Law.

References

Avdiev, V. I. (1970). History of the Ancient East. Higher School.

Averintsev, S. S., Alekseev, V. P., Ardziba, V. G. et al. (1989). Ancient civilizations (G. M. Bongrad-Levin, Ed.). Thought.

Bandurka, O. M., Holovko, O. M., Lohvynenko, I. A. et al. (2021). History of the state and the rights of foreign countries (O. M. Bandurka, Ed.). KhNUVS.

Bandurka, O. M., Shvets, D. V., Burdin, M. Yu. et al. (2020). The history of the state and the rights of foreign countries (O. M. Bandurka, Ed.). Maidan.

Bastrakova, A. E. (2019). Features of the social and legal status of priestesses nadytum in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia. Issues of Student Science, 1(29), 88-91.

Bertman, S. (2007). Mesopotamia. Veche.

Bongard-Levin, G. M., D’yakonov, I. M., Il’in, G. F. et al. (1983). History of the ancient East. The origin of the oldest class societies and the first centers of slave-owning civilization. Part I: Mesopotamia (I. M. D’yakonov, Ed). Science.

Bottero, J. (2001). Everyday Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Butaeva, M. (2011). The social status of women in pre-monotheistic religions. Vlast’, 1, 152-155.

Chikalova, I. (2004). “Velvet Revolution” in Political and Historical Science. Women in History: An Opportunity to be Seen, 3, 5-22.

D’yakonov, I. M. (1951). Urukagina reforms in Lagash. Bulletin of Ancient History, 1(35), 15-32.

D’yakonov, I. M. (1959). The social and state system of the Ancient Mesopotamia. Sumer. Publishing House of Eastern Literature.

D’yakonov, I. M. (1990). People of the city of Ur. Nauka.

D’yakonov, I. M., Neronova, V. D., Sventsitskaya, I. S. (Ed.). (1989). Ancient world history (Book 1). Science.

Dyubi Zh., & Perro, M. (Ed.). (2005). History of women in the West (Vol. 1). Aleteya.

Dzharman, O. A., & Mikirtichan, G. L. (2017). Nurses of ancient Mesopotamia. Medicine and Health Care Organization, 2(2), 51-61.

Emel’yanov, V. V. (2001). Ancient Sumer. Essays on culture. Petersburg Oriental Studies.

Emel’yanov, V. V. (2003). Ritual in Ancient Mesopotamia. Azbuka-klassika; Petersburg Oriental Studies.

Herodotus. (1993). History in nine books. Scientific thought.

James, S. L., & Dillon, S. (2012). A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Karpenko, K. V. (2012). About some features of family relations according to laws Hammurabi. Bulletin of MGIMO, 5(26), 172-181.

Karpenko, K. V. (2013). On the question of the religious and legal significance of consummation of marriage. Bulletin of MGIMO, 2(29), 144-155.

Khof, R. (2009). Emergence and development of gender studies. In E. Shore, K. Khaider, G. Zvereva (Ed.), Floor. Gender. Culture: German and Russian Studies (31-60). RGGU.

Korostovtseva, M. A., Kantsel’son, I. S., Kuzishchin, V. I. (Ed.). (1980). Reader on the history of the Ancient East (Part I). Higher School.

Kozyreva, N. V. (1988). Ancient Larsa. Essays on economic life. Science.

Kramer, S. (1965). History begins in Sumer. Science.

Kramer, S. (2002). The first civilization on Earth (A. V. Miloserdova, Transl.). Tsentrpoligraf.

Krikh, S. B. (2016). I. M. Dyakonov vs. V. V. Struve: controversy in the margins of Sumer. Journal of Ancient History, 76, 1011-1029.

Kuzishchin, V. I., Dandamaev, M. A., & Kozyreva, N. V. (2008). Historiography of the history of the ancient East (Vol 1). (V. I. Kuzishchin, Ed.). Higher school.

Lassen, A. W., & Wagensonner, K. (2020). Women at the Dawn of History. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale Babylonian Collection. Yale University.

Lipinsky, E. (1981). The wife’s right to divorce in the light of an ancient near eastern tradition. The Jewish Law Annual, 4, 9-27.

Lohvynenko, Ye. S. (2019). The sources of exploration of the penalty institute in the Ancient East states. Legal Novels, 9, 7-14. https://doi.org/10.32847/ln.2019.9.01.

Lohvynenko, Ye. S., & Lohvynenko, I. A. (2019). Punishment in the rights of the powers of the Ancient World. FOP Panov A. M.

Lysenko, O. L., & Trikoz. E. N. (2007). Reader on the history of state and law of foreign countries: (Vol. 1). (N. A. Krasheninnikova, Ed.). Norma.

Pushkareva, N. L. (2005). Subject and perspectives of gender approach in historical sciences. In V. Uspenskaya (Ed.), Sex and gender in the sciences of man and society (pp. 19-43). Feminist-Press.

Sedov, A. V. (Ed.). (2004). History of the Ancient East: From early state formations to ancient empires. Eastern Literature.

Skorobogatov, A. V., Nosanenko, G. Yu., & Krasnov, A. V. (2015). History of state and law of foreign countries. Knowledge.

Steel, L. D. (2007). Women and Gender in Babylonia. In G. Leick (Ed.), The Babylonian World (pp. 299-316). Routledge.

Stol, M. (2016). Women in the Ancient Near East. Walter de Gruyter Inc.

Struve, V. V. (1941). History of the Ancient East. OGIZ Gospolitizdat.

Struve, V. V. (Ed.). (1950). Reader on the history of the Ancient World. Volume I. Ancient East. Uchpedgiz.

Tetlow, E. M. (2004). Women, crime, and punishment in ancient law and society (Vol. 1). Continuum.

Trikoz, E. (2013). Ancient Sumer: features of the legal tradition. Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: Legal Sciences, 3, 108-115.

Trikoz, E. N. (2013). Code of Ur-Namma. History of law codification. Issue. 1: Cuneiform Codes of Laws: Ur-Namma Code. Russian University of Friendship of Peoples.

Vardiman, E. (1990). Woman in the ancient world (M. S. Kharitonova, Transl.). Science.

Vellard, D. (2004). Babylon. The rise and fall of the city of Wonders. Tsentrpoligraf.

Vigasin, A. A. (Ed.). (1997). Reader on the history of the Ancient East. Eastern Literature.

Volkov, I. M. (1914). Laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi. Moscow.

Wallach, S. J. (1986). Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis. The American Historical Review, 91(5). https://doi.org/10.2307/1864376.

Yakobsen, T. (1995). Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion. Eastern Literature.

Yakobson, V. A. (1981). The emergence of written law in Ancient Mesopotamia. Journal of Ancient History, 4(158), 9-20.

Zakharova, I. N., & Machneva, E. B. (2016). The history of breastfeeding of the peoples of the world. Medical Council, 16, 14-21.

Published
2022-06-30
How to Cite
Lohvynenko, I. A. and Lohvynenko, Y. S. (2022) “The status of women in the Ancient East: peculiarities of marriage and family relations in Mesopotamia”, Law and Safety, 85(2), pp. 91-106. doi: 10.32631/pb.2022.2.09.