A Queen, a Reformer, and Weavers

AbstractThis chapter focuses largely on the biography of the Early Dynastic queen Baranamtara of Lagash, who oversaw a large estate belonging to the House of Women (E-Mi), as attested by hundreds of administrative tablets from its archive. Her husband, king Lugalanda, administered his own estate, but his archive has not been found. Baranamtara conducted her own diplomacy through envoys, exchanged gifts with queens of other lands, offered sacrifices at religious festivals, and traveled around the city-state to appease the gods. Like the kings, Baranamtara was represented by a statue in the temple, and her statue received offerings after her death. Her funeral was attended by hundreds of mourners, and she was provided with lavish gifts for the afterlife. The king of Lagash at the time of her death was Urukagina, whose biography continues the chapter. He presented himself as a reformer, rooting out corruption and caring for orphans and widows. During his reign, the E-Mi palace (supervised by queen Shasha) increased its production of textiles, also increasing the number of textile workers. Three female supervisors of textile workers in the E-Mi—Zum, Igi-bar, and Emete—are the focus of the final biography in this chapter. Administrative texts can be used to follow their careers for a few years, and to compare their wages with those of their male counterparts. Textiles had become an important item of trade in southern Mesopotamia and women were largely responsible for their production.