From an article in the LA Times Online:
Cornell University is preparing to forfeit to Iraq a vast collection of ancient cuneiform tablets in what is expected to be one of the largest returns of antiquities by an American university.
The 10,000 inscribed clay blocks date from the 4th millenium BC and offer scholars an unmatched record of daily life in ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization.
Among the tablets is the private archive of a 21st century BC Sumerian princess in the city of Garsana that has made scholars rethink the role of women in the ancient kingdom of Ur. The administrative records show Simat-Ishtaran ruled the estate after her husband died.
During her reign, women attained remarkably high status. They supervised men, received salaries equal to their male counterparts' and worked in construction, the clay tablets reveal.
See also:
Garsana Tablets in the Cuneiform Library at Cornell University
Sumerian Shakespeare - website dedicated to Sumerian art, culture & history
More on Ancient Sumerian Women
The Role of Women in Ancient Sumer by Laura Valeri
Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna (Classics and the Ancient World) by Betty De Shong Meador
Enheduanna - Women Philosophers website
Enheduanna - Centre for Digital Discourse & Culture
Enheduanna - wikipedia
No comments:
Post a Comment