Mesopotamian and biblical
societies in antiquity were characterized by their patriarchal structure. The
father was head of the family unit, and his rule extended over many areas of
life. He had broad legal authority over the members of his household, including
his offspring. It is therefore expected that in the ancient sources a dominant father figure would be mentioned alone or almost alone. And yet, in
Mesopotamian and biblical texts, particularly legal writings, the exclusivity
of the father is not always explicit. In many of the
Mesopotamian and biblical writings, especially legal texts, the mother is
mentioned in various contexts and in a range of realms, mainly those pertaining
to her offspring. This intriguing phenomenon raised the question whether the
mother in the ancient Near East and ancient Israel had legal authority in the household.
The book The Legal
Status of the Mother in the Ancient Near East and the Bible sheds light on
the world of the ancient mothers and their status within the households and the
societies in which they lived. This study demonstrates that the mother acted by
virtue of the legal status she possessed in matters related to her sons and
daughters’ marriages and their behavior towards her.
This book is for those walking
in the fields of Mesopotamian and biblical research, and for readers interested
in the universal subject in question - the relations between the mother and her
offspring.