Naditu
Encyclopedia
Nadītu or Naditu is the designation of a legal position for women in Babylon
ian society
and for Sumer
ian temple slaves. The latter were primarily involved in business activities and were allowed to own property.
Nadītu were mainly particular women not living in the patriarch
al family relations that Babylonian society regarded as normal. Nadītu lived in monastic buildings, but in general did own their home within these complexes, and were independent. They could engage in contracts, borrow money and perform other business transactions normally denied to women; records show that they were very active. Usually these women were part of the elite, often from royal families.
Their financial independence was based on their dowry
, which they were not allowed to pass on to a man; the dowry was the compensation for not being included in the inheritance, as this was passed on through the patriarchal line. It is not exactly clear whether the nadītu were allowed to marry, or whether this right was only reserved for the nadītu that belonged to the Marduk
temple. According to some sources celibacy
was required, or at the least they had to remain childless, which is reflected in the meaning of the word nadītu - the fallow. When the nadītu died, the dowry fell to her brothers or other relatives.
There were a lot of writers among the nadītu. According to the epic of Gilgamesh
, writing is attributed to a goddess
. In the temple of Inanna
in Erech
the earliest writing tablets are found, dating back to the 4th millennium BC
. Many nadītu lived there as priestess.
Along the rivers Tigris
and Euphrates
many temples are still found in worship of Inanna and where these nadītu resided in active service. The 5000 year old temple in Uruk
(biblical Erech) is the largest of these, being regularly rebuild and expanded. A sculpture of a woman's head and the well-known vase of Uruk (now in the museum of Baghdad
) have been discovered there, showing reliefs of archaic Mother goddess
culture: images of sacred properties and forests, men harvesting produce and goats indicating the symbols of social order of that time.
In the later Greek antiquity
, the Hetaera
obtained a similar status within the patriarchal society of the time. The status of the assisting hierodule
s was considerably lower, as was their level of education.
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
ian society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
and for Sumer
Sumer
Sumer was a civilization and historical region in southern Mesopotamia, modern Iraq during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age....
ian temple slaves. The latter were primarily involved in business activities and were allowed to own property.
Nadītu were mainly particular women not living in the patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
al family relations that Babylonian society regarded as normal. Nadītu lived in monastic buildings, but in general did own their home within these complexes, and were independent. They could engage in contracts, borrow money and perform other business transactions normally denied to women; records show that they were very active. Usually these women were part of the elite, often from royal families.
Their financial independence was based on their dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
, which they were not allowed to pass on to a man; the dowry was the compensation for not being included in the inheritance, as this was passed on through the patriarchal line. It is not exactly clear whether the nadītu were allowed to marry, or whether this right was only reserved for the nadītu that belonged to the Marduk
Marduk
Marduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi , started to...
temple. According to some sources celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
was required, or at the least they had to remain childless, which is reflected in the meaning of the word nadītu - the fallow. When the nadītu died, the dowry fell to her brothers or other relatives.
There were a lot of writers among the nadītu. According to the epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story, Gilgamesh king of Uruk, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much...
, writing is attributed to a goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
. In the temple of Inanna
Inanna
Inanna, also spelled Inana is the Sumerian goddess of sexual love, fertility, and warfare....
in Erech
Erech
Erech according to the Book of Genesis, was an ancient city in the land of Shinar, the second city built by king Nimrod....
the earliest writing tablets are found, dating back to the 4th millennium BC
4th millennium BC
The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marked the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Egypt were established and grew to prominence. Agriculture spread widely across Eurasia...
. Many nadītu lived there as priestess.
Along the rivers Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
and Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
many temples are still found in worship of Inanna and where these nadītu resided in active service. The 5000 year old temple in Uruk
Uruk
Uruk was an ancient city of Sumer and later Babylonia, situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates river, on the ancient dry former channel of the Euphrates River, some 30 km east of modern As-Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Uruk gave its name to the Uruk...
(biblical Erech) is the largest of these, being regularly rebuild and expanded. A sculpture of a woman's head and the well-known vase of Uruk (now in the museum of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
) have been discovered there, showing reliefs of archaic Mother goddess
Mother goddess
Mother goddess is a term used to refer to a goddess who represents motherhood, fertility, creation or embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother.Many different goddesses have...
culture: images of sacred properties and forests, men harvesting produce and goats indicating the symbols of social order of that time.
In the later Greek antiquity
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, the Hetaera
Hetaera
In ancient Greece, hetaerae were courtesans, that is to say, highly educated, sophisticated companions...
obtained a similar status within the patriarchal society of the time. The status of the assisting hierodule
Hierodule
In ancient Greece and Anatolia a hierodule, from the Greek ' , was a temple slave in the service of a specific deity, often with the connotation of religious prostitution. Her prostitution would technically be excused because of the service she provided to the deity...
s was considerably lower, as was their level of education.
Further reading
- , "Sacred Prostitutes", in MatriFocus (2005). The Paradise Papers, Virago Ltd (1976), (Once God was embodied as a woman (1979), Servire Katwijk, ISBN 9060775821)