Neo-Assyrian Women's Roles

Research Question: This study will take a closer look at the roles Neo-Assyrian queens and her households were responsible for in the function of the palace and, in extension, the Empire. In contrast to the traditionally held belief that women held no power in Neo-Assyrian palace, tablets and inscriptions from the era support the idea of a more assertive queenship. An important figure in the study of Neo-Assyrian queenship is Naqia, the possible wife of Sennacherib, who is the best-documented woman from the Neo-Assyrian period, and she will be analyzed for her significant political role in the context of how much authority and significance queens had in the royal court. Thesis Statement: Often overlooked, women of the royal palace, specifically the queens, go
It discusses the various items found in the dig and its correlation to the owner, in addition to, what purpose it fulfilled whether religious, practicality or otherwise. It also goes over the layout of the palace to provide important context of the locations each artefact grouping was found: “(1) the Northern Section (the administrative area), (2) the Central Section (royal protocol), and (3) the Southern Section (domestic wing, the royal harem, and royal burials)” (Hussein 2016, 4). The book also describes each discovery of the tombs in great detail, outlining in specific the condition of artefacts and the remains found in the coffins. Hussein’s work is incredibly important because it has been cited by several other texts, including Sherry Lou Macgregor, as a basis for building an understanding of burial rituals, and furthermore, how class and gender factored into tomb building. The tombs are also relevant because it shows that the queens of the time had substantial financial resources that are not only detectable in texts and inscriptions, but also in the treasures found in the queens’ graves at