Women and Real Estate in the Old Assyrian Texts

Abstract

The Old Assyrian tablets, dated mainly to the nineteenth century BC and excavated at Kültepe, ancient Kaneš, document the activities of women living in Aššur and Kaneš as housewives and businesswomen. Women alone in Aššur were in charge both of the managing of the household and the maintenance of the building housing the family. Their letters sent to Kaneš show that they could own the house in which they were living. Purchase contracts involve Kaneš women buying houses, and in their testaments, the Assyrian merchants could decide to donate their houses to their wives, daughters or sisters.