Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:28:32.519Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

TESTING THE MIDDLE GROUND IN ASSYRO-ANATOLIAN MARRIAGES OF THE KĀRUM PERIOD1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2017

Abstract

Central Anatolia in the Middle Bronze Age is marked by a well-documented Old Assyrian presence during the kārum period (20th–17th century b.c.), a dynamic time of long-distance trade and cultural contact. One of the idiosyncrasies of the social history of this period is a special bigamous arrangement which allowed Assyrian men to enter second marriages on the condition that one wife remained at home in Aššur, and the other in Anatolia. In testing the extent to which a middle ground for cross-cultural compromise is recognisable in such Assyro-Anatolian marriage practices, this article considers whether the terminology used in reference to the first and second wives (amtum and aššatum respectively) can be interpreted as the crucial element of misunderstanding in middle ground formation.

Type
Research Article
Information
IRAQ , Volume 79 , December 2017 , pp. 71 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute for the Study of Iraq 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

This article is a product of the Anniversary Research Fellowship I held between 2013–2015 at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, where I was able to test my notions of Assyrian presence in Anatolia on archaeologists with wildly different persuasions from my own. I am grateful for all the questions, comments, and suggestions I received from the brilliant research community at the Institute. In particular, I would like to thank the individual and collective efforts of three Assyriologists who helped me with my very rusty Akkadian: Olga Vinnichenko, Martin Worthington, and Nicholas Postgate. The latter two were, as always, gracious enough to read and comment on earlier drafts. Finally, I would like to thank the anonymous reviewer, whose comments I hope to have used well.

References

Albayrak, İ. 2000. Kültepe'den Yeni Bir Vasiyetname / Ein neues Altassyrisches Testament aus Kültepe. Archivum Anatolicum 4: 127.Google Scholar
Barjamovic, G., Hertel, T. and Larsen, M.T. 2012. Ups and Downs at Kanesh: Chronology, History and Society in the Old Assyrian Period. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Bryce, T. 2005. The Kingdom of the Hittites (2nd ed). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dercksen, J.G. 2014. Review of Die hethitischen Frauennamen, Katalog und Interpretation , by Zehnder, Thomas. Orientalistische Literaturzeitung 109/3: 196–99.Google Scholar
Donbaz, V. 1993. Some Remarkable Contracts of 1-B Period Kültepe Tablets, II. Pp. 131–54 in Mellink, M.J., Porada, E., Özgüç, T. (eds.), Aspects of Art and Iconography: Anatolia and its Neighbors. Studies in Honor of Nimet Özgüç. Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu.Google Scholar
Eidem, J. 2004. In the Names of Aššur! Pp. 191203 in Dercksen, J.G. (ed.), Assyria and Beyond: Studies Presented to Mogens Trolle Larsen. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Greengus, S. 1969. The Old Babylonian Marriage Contract. Journal of the American Oriental Society 89: 505–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, R. 1975. Ancient Sippar: A Demographic Study of an Old Babylonian City (1894–1595 B.C.). Publications de l'Institut historique et archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul 36. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Kienast, B. 2008. Altassyrisch amtum = ”Zweitfrau”. Altorientalische Forschungen 35: 3552.Google Scholar
Kryszat, G. 2008. The Use of Writing among the Anatolians. Pp. 231–38 in Dercksen, J.G. (ed.), Anatolia and the Jazira during the Old Assyrian Period. Old Assyrian Archives, Studies 3. Publications de l'Institut historique et archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul 111. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Larsen, M.T. 2002. The Aššur-nādā Archive. Publications de l'Institut historique et archéologique néerlandais de Stamboul 96. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Larsen, M.T. 2015. Ancient Kanesh: A Merchant Colony in Bronze Age Anatolia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Larsen, M.T. 2017. Between Slavery and Freedom. Pp. 289–99 in Heffron, Y., Stone, A.B., Worthington, M.J (eds.) At the Dawn of History: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Honour of J. Nicholas Postgate. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns.Google Scholar
Larsen, M.T. and Lassen, A.W. 2014. Cultural Exchange at Kültepe. Pp. 171–88 in Kozuh, M., Henkelman, W., Jones, C. E. and Woods, C. (eds.), Extraction and Control: Studies in Honor of Matthew W. Stolper. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilizations 68. Chicago, IL: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Lewy, J. 1938. Old Assyrian Documents from Asia Minor (About 2000 B.C.) II: The Texts TC III 214 and Gelb No. 49. Archives d'Histoire du Droit Oriental 2: 111–42.Google Scholar
Lewy, J. 1938. 1950. Hatta, Hattu, Hatti, Hattuša and “Old Assyrian” Hattum. Archiv Orientální 18: 366441.Google Scholar
Lewy, J. 1938.1956. On Some Institutions of the Old Assyrian Empire. Hebrew Union College Annual 27: 179.Google Scholar
Lumsden, S. 2008. Material Culture and the Middle Ground in the Old Assyrian Colony Period. Pp. 2143 in Michel, C. (ed.), Old Assyrian Studies in Memory of Paul Garelli. Old Assyrian Archives, Studies 4. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Łyczkowska, K. 1996–98. Familienrechts-Urkunden bei den Anatoliern in Kaneš. Rocznik Orientalistyczny 51: 1323.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2001. Correspondance des marchands de Kaniš au début du IIe millénaire ac. J.-C. Paris: Éditions du Cerf.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2006. Bigamie chez Assyriens au début du IIe millénaire avant J.-C. Revue Historique de Droit Français et étranger 84: 155–76.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2008a. Femmes au foyer et femmes en voyage. CLIO, Femmes, Genre, Histoire 28: 1738.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2008b. Les assyriens et leurs femmes anatoliennes. Pp. 209–29 in Dercksen, J.G. (ed.), Anatolia and the Jazira during the Old Assyrian Period, Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2008c. Les Assyriens et les esprits de leurs morts. Pp. 181197 in Michel, C. (ed.), Old Assyrian Studies in Memory of Paul Garelli. Old Assyrian Archives, Studies 4. Leiden: Nederlands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2009a. Les filles consacrées des marchands assyriens. Pp. 145–63 in Briquel-Chatonnet, F., Farès, S., Lion, B. and Michel, C. (eds.), Femmes, cultures et sociétés dans les civilisations méditerranéennes et proche-orientales de l'Antiquité. Topoi, supplement 10. Paris: De Boccard Edition-Diffusion.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2009b. Les femmes et l’écrit dans les archives paléo-assyriennes. Pp. 253–72 in Briquel-Chatonnet, F., Farès, S, Lion, B. and Michel, C. (eds.), Femmes, cultures et sociétés dans les civilisations méditerranéennes et proche-orientales de l'Antiquité. Topoi supplement 10. Paris: De Boccard Edition-Diffusion.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2011a. The Private Archives from Kaniš Belonging to Anatolians. Archiv für Orientforschung 38: 94115.Google Scholar
Michel, C. 2011b. The Kārum Period on the Plateau. Pp. 313–36 in Steadman, S.R. and McMahon, G. (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Anatolia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Michel, C. Forthcoming. Women from Aššur and Kaniš. Writings from the Ancient World. Baltimore: Society of Biblical Literature.Google Scholar
Michel, C. and Garelli, P.. 1996. New Old Assyrian Marriage Contracts. Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi Yıllığı 1995: 295302.Google Scholar
Roth, M.T. 2014. Women and the Law. Pp. 144–74 in Chavalas, M. (ed.), Women in the Ancient Near East. Oxford: Routledge.Google Scholar
Seri, A. 2011. Domestic Female Slaves during the Old Babylonian Period. Pp. 4967 in Culbertson, L. (ed.), Slaves and Households in the Ancient Near East. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Ross, J.C. and Steadman, S.R. 2010. Agency and Identity in the Ancient Near East. Pp. 110 in Steadman, S.R and Ross, J.C. (eds.), Agency and Identity in the Ancient Near East. London: Equinox.Google Scholar
Stein, G. 2008. A Theoretical Model for Political Economy and Social Identity in the Old Assyrian Colonies of Anatolia. Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi 11: 2540.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 1994–95. “In Accordance with the Words of the Stele: Evidence for Old Assyrian Legislation. Chicago-Kent Law Review 70: 1717–44.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 1997. Two Marriage Documents from Kültepe. Archivum Anatolicum 3: 357–81.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 1998. Old Assyrian and Anatolian Evidence. Pp. 119–60 in Stol, M. and Vleeming, S.P. (eds.), The Care of the Elderly in the Ancient Near East. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 2003. The Old Assyrian Period. Pp. 431–83 in Westbrook, R. (ed.), A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law. Leiden: Brill.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 2007. Sisterly Advice on an Endangered Marriage in an Old Assyrian Letter. Pp. 285304 in Roth, M.T., Farber, W., Stolper, M.W. and Bechtolsheim, P. von (eds.), Studies Presented to Robert D. Biggs. Assyriological Studies 27. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 2012. Old Assyrian and Old Babylonian Law. Some Comparative Observations. Zeitschrift für Altorientalische und Biblische Rechtsgeschichte 18: 141–74.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. 2014. Families of Old Assyrian Traders. Pp. 341–71 in Marti, L. (ed.), La famille dans le Proche-Orient ancien: réalités, symbolismes et images. Proceedings of the 55th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, Paris 6–9 July 2009. Eisenbrauns: Winona Lake, IN.Google Scholar
Veenhof, K.R. and Eidem, J.. 2008. The Old Assyrian Period. Fribourg: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Westbrook, R. 1984. Enforcement of Morals in Mesopotamian Law. Journal of American Oriental Society 104: 753–56.Google Scholar
Westbrook, R. 1988. Old Babylonian Marriage Law. Archiv für Orientforschung Beiheft 23. Horn: Ferdinand Berger & Söhne.Google Scholar
Westbrook, R. 1994–95. Slave and Master in Ancient Near Eastern Law. Chicago-Kent Law Review 70: 1631–76.Google Scholar
Westbrook, R. 2003–05. Polygamie. Reallexikon der Assyriologie 10: 601–02.Google Scholar
White, K. 2014. The Legal Status of Barren Wives in the Ancient Near East. Priscilla Papers 28/4: 1822.Google Scholar
White, R. 1991. The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1855. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
White, R. 2006. Creative Misunderstandings and New Understandings. The William and Mary Quarterly 63: 914.Google Scholar
White, R. 2011. The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650–1855 (20th anniversary edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar