Nadītu

The Old Babylonian term Nadītum (also Nadītu ) refers to a group of women in specific legal status in ancient Near Eastern society of the early 2nd millennium BC. This is according to the current state of research here to live in seclusion, committed to chastity women, which probably a cultic function in the environment of the Šamaš ( Sippar ) and Marduk (Babylon ) was coming, but they are particularly known for their right-hand traffic.

Sources and etymology

The term appears prominently in the Code of Hammurabi, which defines especially a kind of dowry and obligations of family members of a Nadītum to supply Selbiger. In addition, however, there is also a variety of Old Babylonian private legal documents in which these women act as counterparties to transactions and very often as a creditor.

The common Sumerogramm for Nadītum is lukur, a ligature of characters SAL and ME, which can be roughly translated as " chaste woman ". Comes from word lists this as another translation possibility also the Akkadian word qadištum forth. Nadītum can be attributed Nadu on a root that comes from the context of agriculture, where the " lie fallow Let ' describes a field. For a long time it was assumed in the research that the Nadītum was made in the context of a (temple ) prostitution, which was mainly due to late Babylonian word lists, where for Nadītum the termini were šamuktum and uppuštum specified, to clearly with prostitution in connection are bringing. However, given the etymology of the term this late equating likely not the actual status of a Nadītum correspond, but rather are based on the ignorance of these more than 1,000 years later, living writers.

As a place of residence for the Nadītum the term is used regularly GAGU, which refers to a type of delimited residential district and is thus in opposition to the so-called Kidu, the rest of the world.

Social background

For the family lineage of Nadītum is testified that there were among them princesses and daughters of senior officials and senior military officers. Because of the lower social strata generally provided the written sources are missing, can not be ruled out that members of other layers could be Nadītum. Many of the well-known women of this status were very old, which is causally related to their childlessness, but also the life of cloistered well - protected against epidemics - can be seen.

Large families gave their daughters probably the GAGU mainly for economic interests. Including in particular the securing integrity of the family property. Thus, although Nadītum received at its initiation a dowry, as they remained childless and thus had no ( male ) heirs, were their possessions after her death but then returned to the family. Whether it's in the GAGU were also religious motivations for entry, is from the sources, however, not apparent.

Social position

The Nadītum was officially an adopted daughter of Šamaš, however, stood his wife Aja probably closer. She was adopted from GAGU as a representation of the sun god and then officially launched in a ceremony called Taru. This term is also occupied in marriage certificates, which also show that it was common in early Babylonian period, the future daughter to adopt first and leave a year round living in his own family, before it came to the son of formal marriage. Whether recording in which preceded GAGU a novitiate, is not clear. However, This is suggested that many Nadītum a theophores element in their name, which suggests that a young woman entering the GAGU changed its name; However, there are also women with such theophoric elements in private households known, perhaps not yet live as novices in GAGU. The inclusion in the GAGU was then but for life. As a Nadītum could not expect their own offspring, but also the GAGU not emerged for old Nadītum, these women had to independently plan for their retirement. From this context comes a lot of legal documents, on the basis of which the present knowledge. Accordingly, the Nadītum possessed within the GAGU own house and very often a slave who, against the obligation to care in old age, could also be manumittiert and adopted. Often, they also possessed lands that could lease it. Since this, however, very few sales records exist, it is assumed that Nadītum here indeed had a right of usufruct, the right of disposal, however, remained with her ​​family.

Marduk - Nadītum

For the Nadītum of Marduk in Babylon is known that they could also enter into marriages, although they had to remain childless. Marriages with a Nadītum were socially highly regarded and were often associated with economic benefits. Opposite her husband had the Nadītum certain rights and obligations that were laid down in the Code of Hammurabi. So she had her husband make a slave for the procreation of offspring available, then and only then could he but entering into another marriage with a woman of so-called šugītum - state ban ( § 144 CH). In any case, however, had their eminence be maintained, regardless of possible offspring of her husband with another woman ( § § 145 et seq CH). Are relatively frequent accordingly adoption certificates of Nadītum against daughters by her husband with their slaves. Whether these children actually emerged from such a connection or if this was a means of avoiding social norms, speculation has so far due to the source location to stay.