Babylonians and Assyrians : $b Life and customsSayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
History
Babylonians and Assyrians : $b Life and customs
Sayce, A. H. (Archibald Henry)
Assyria -- Social life and customs; Babylonia -- Social life and customs
Up to the last the Babylonian woman, in her own name, could enter into
partnership with others, could buy and sell, lend and borrow, could appear
as plaintiff and witness in a court of law, could even bequeath her
property as she wished. In a deed, dated in the second year of Nabonidos
(555 B.C.), a father transfers all his property to his daughter, reserving
to himself only the use of it during the rest of his life. In return the
daughter agrees to provide him with the necessaries of life, food and
drink, oil and clothing. A few years later, in the second year of Cyrus, a
woman of the name of Nubtâ, or “Bee,” hired out a slave for five years in
order that he might be taught the art of weaving. She stipulated to give
him one _qa_, or about a quart and a half of food, each day, and to
provide him with clothing while he was learning the trade. It is evident
that Nubtâ owned looms and traded in woven fabrics on her own account.
Nubtâ was the daughter of Ben-Hadad-amara, a Syrian _settled_ in Babylonia
who had been adopted by another Syrian of the name of Ben-Hadad-nathan.
After the latter’s death his widow brought an action before the royal
judges to recover her husband’s property. She stated that after their
marriage she and Ben-Hadad-nathan had traded together, and that a house
had been purchased with a portion of her dowry. This house, the value of
which was as much as 110 manehs, 50 shekels, or £62 10s., had been
assigned to her in perpetuity. The half-brother Aqabi-il (Jacob-el),
however, now claimed everything, including the house. The case was tried
at Babylon before six judges in the ninth year of Nabonidos, and they
decided in favor of the plaintiff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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