Refer to the accompanying Source Booklet and answer all the questions.
Women of Ancient Mesopotamia – Myth, Law and status
These questions relate to Women in Babylon between 1900 – 1500 BCE.
1.
(a) Explain why according to Source A, female aggression is “a kind of muffled myth
of matriarchy justifying the rule of men over women..”
[3 marks]
(b) What message is conveyed in Source E?
[2 marks]
2.
Compare and contrast the views expressed by Rikvah Harris and Callie Poole in
Source A and C.
{6 marks]
3.
With reference to their origin and purpose, assess the value and limitations for
historians studying women and ancient Mesopotamian society, of Sources B and
D.
[6 marks]
4.
Using these sources and your own knowledge, explain to what extent you agree
with the assessment that the faith of Babylonians affected their legal system
(Barbara Lesko, “Women of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia” in Becoming
Visible: Women in European History (ed. Renate Bridenthal), p. 34-35.
[8 marks]