Did kings live their family lives in the same way as their subjects ? The lecture will analyze what they had in common and what set them apart.
The family is generally considered to be the basic unit of society : we will attempt to characterize the model(s) that prevailed in Mesopotamia in the first third of the second millennium BC. A new nuclear family was formed through marriage, and expanded with the birth of children. We'll see how these children were educated, with the main concern being the transmission of status and professions. Religious practices within the family framework will be the subject of a special analysis. Death struck families, not only older members, but also young children. We'll be looking at the family living environment : the home, also occupied by domestic servants of varying status. Families could be dispersed following an economic crisis or defeat. The year will end with a study of some particularly well-known elite families, and the specific case of royal families. The synthesis that will be attempted will make use of as yet unpublished data from recent excavations of the cities of Ur and Larsa, in which the professor has participated, as well as texts from the royal archives of Mari currently being published as part of the PCEHM project (" Power and written culture in Upper Mesopotamia from the 18th century BC. ").
