Quelle place occupent les femmes dans les sources cunéiformes de la pratique ?

Abstract

There has been a growing interest in Assyriology for the history of women and gender these last twenty years. The most recent works are devoted to a comparative study on the implications of women and men in Mesopotamian society and economic activities. Archives from palaces and large domains dated to the IIIrd and beginning of the IInd millennium BC show women of the elite managing large autonomous estates mainly based on agriculture and textiles. Some private archives dated to the IInd millennium document the activities of women belonging to specific milieus, wives of merchants or priestesses. They are independent and their activities are not limited to the domestic sphere. Women, even though they are less visible than men, participate to the public and economic life.

Keywords

• women
• gender
• Mesopotamia
• palace archives
• private archives