Economic Activities of Women According to Mari Texts (18th century BC)

Abstract : The archives from Mari are an outstanding source pertaining to the life of women in the old Babylonian period. Women in relation with the royal palace, be they members of the royal family or palace personnel are especially well attested, and informations on their belongings and economic activities can be analyzed. Besides them, the wives of high officials and their households as well as female slaves and workers are also attested. This contribution wantsto shed some light on the general economic situation of women belonging to different layers of the society, their responsabilities and obligations and draw some conclusions of what we may know and which aspects of their lives are not attested by the palace archives.