In this collection Cécile Michel translates into English texts related to wives and daughters of merchants and to their activities in nineteenth-century BCE Aššur and Kaneš. Discovered in excavations of the Old Assyrian private archives at Kültepe (ancient Kaneš) in Central Anatolia, these letters sent from Aššur reflect the preeminent role of Assyrian women within the family and in the domestic economy, as well as their contribution to long-distance trade. Contracts and other legal texts excavated at Kültepe attest to Assyrian and Anatolian women as parties in marriage and divorce contracts, last wills, loans, and purchase contracts. These unique finds paint a vivid portrait of women who aspire to be socially respected and provide a rare opportunity to reconstruct their daily lives as both businesswomen and housewives.Series Editor’s Foreword...................................................................................ixAcknowledgments.............................................................................................xiAbbreviations and Conventions.....................................................................xvList of Figures.................................................................................................xxixMap of the Old Assyrian Period...................................................................xxxIntroduction................................................................................................1The History of Women and Gender in Assyriology 3Old Assyrian Archives and Women 6The Role of Women in Society and Economy 23Chronology, Calendars, and Metrology..................................................39The Old Assyrian Eponym System 39Old Assyrian Kings 40Old Assyrian Months, Half-Months, and Weeks 40The Anatolian Dating System 41Old Assyrian Weights and Measures 431.. Marriage and Divorce........................................................................45From Betrothal to Marriage 46Monogamy and Bigamy 68Divorce 85Widowhood and Remarriage 1022.. Women and Family..........................................................................111Women and Inheritance 113Women Protected against Their Father’s or Husband’s Creditors 146Women in Debt 151Women and Family Responsibility for Debt 159Female Slaves 1693.. Housewives.......................................................................................195Motherhood 197Raising Children 204Provisioning and Food 213Heads of the Household 223Women at Home 236Farming Activities of Anatolian Women 2484.. Businesswomen................................................................................255Weaving as a Remunerative Profession 256Separate Assets for Men and Women 271Women Lend, Buy, and Invest 282Women Representing Their Husbands 301Women, Archives, and Seals 315Women and Writing 3335.. Religion and Social Mores...............................................................339Women’s Feelings and Advice on Behavior 341Women’s Religion and the Spirits of the Dead 354Women Consecrated to Gods 3766.. Portraits of Assyrian and Anatolian Women.................................395Akatiya and Šīmat-Suen, Sisters of Uṣur-ša-Ištar 397Ahaha, a Woman Consecrated to the God Aššur 411Tarām-Kūbi, Wife of Innaya, and Her Sister, Šīmat-Aššur 426Ištar-baštī I, Wife of Imdī-ilum, and Her Daughter, IštarbaštīII/Zizizi 434Kunnaniya, a Lonely Anatolian Woman 444Šišahšušar, a Housewife Owning Cattle 459Hatala, a Woman Involved in Trade 469Anna-Anna, Married to Ennum-Aššur 472Texts Edited...........................................................................................................483Texts Concordance 483Reverse Texts Concordance 487Bibliography....................................................................................................493Indexes.............................................................................................................531Abbreviations 531Personal Names 531Geographical Names and Nisbe 556Gods and Goddesses 557Eponyms (limum) 558Weeks (hamuštum) 559Months 559Professions and Titles 560Commented Words and Expressions 560Cited Texts 562Subjects 563