ClassX Video Lessons A day in the life of an ancient Babylonian business mogul – Soraya Field Fiorio
As the sun rises over the ancient city of Sippar, Beltani, a respected priestess and businesswoman, receives an urgent visit from her brother. It’s the year 1762 B.C.E., during the reign of the famous King Hammurabi. Beltani is a naditu, a special group of women from wealthy families who serve as priestesses. She lives in a special area of the temple called the gagum, where she can manage her businesses and fulfill her religious duties.
This morning, Beltani’s brother brings worrying news: the tavern keeper is accused of watering down wine, a serious offense that could lead to the death penalty. Beltani relies on the tavern’s success for her future security, so she needs to find out the truth quickly. However, as a priestess, she cannot enter the tavern herself, so she arranges to meet the tavern keeper at the temple of Shamash.
The temple, a grand ziggurat, stands tall in the city, symbolizing the connection between heaven and earth. It’s the home of Shamash, the god who gave humanity laws and serves as a judge. Beltani offers bread and sesame oil in a private room, while worshippers outside play music and leave gifts to support the temple workers.
The tavern keeper arrives with shocking news: Beltani’s brother has been cheating customers by altering the weights used for payments. He falsely accused her to cover his own wrongdoing. Beltani needs to act fast to uncover the truth. She decides to inspect the barley fields managed by her brother and finds more grain than he reported, proving his dishonesty.
In ancient Babylonia, women like Beltani had the rare right to inherit property equally with their brothers. However, families didn’t always respect these rights. Beltani, like other naditu, could choose a different business partner if her brother was unsuitable. Armed with evidence, she heads to the temple court.
At the court, a judge, along with two naditu, listens to Beltani’s case. She requests to remove her brother as her business manager, presenting the granary evidence. The judge agrees, and a scribe records the new contract on a clay tablet. Beltani has protected her income and spared her brother’s life by not revealing all his crimes. She considers adopting a younger priestess to help with her business and care for her in old age.
Beltani’s story shows the complex roles women could play in ancient Babylonian society. Despite the challenges, she navigates her responsibilities with wisdom and strength, ensuring her future and maintaining her family’s honor.
Imagine you are Beltani, the ancient Babylonian business mogul. Create a short skit with your classmates that depicts a day in her life. Include scenes from the temple, the tavern, and the court. Focus on how Beltani balances her religious duties with her business responsibilities. This will help you understand the roles and challenges faced by women in ancient Babylonia.
Research the Code of Hammurabi and select a few laws that relate to business and trade. Prepare a presentation explaining how these laws would impact Beltani’s decisions and actions. Discuss how these laws compare to modern business laws. This activity will deepen your understanding of ancient legal systems and their influence on society.
Write a diary entry from Beltani’s perspective, describing her thoughts and feelings about the day’s events. Include her concerns about her brother’s betrayal and her hopes for the future. This exercise will help you explore the emotional and personal aspects of Beltani’s life, enhancing your empathy and understanding of historical figures.
Create a map of ancient Babylonia, marking important locations such as Sippar, the temple of Shamash, and the barley fields. Use historical resources to ensure accuracy. Present your map to the class, explaining the significance of each location in Beltani’s story. This will help you visualize the geographical context of ancient Babylonian society.
Organize a debate on the topic of women’s rights in ancient Babylonia. One side will argue that women like Beltani had significant rights and opportunities, while the other side will argue that their rights were limited. Use evidence from the article and additional research to support your arguments. This activity will encourage critical thinking and a deeper understanding of gender roles in history.
As dawn breaks in the ancient city of Sippar, Beltani receives an urgent visit from her brother. It’s 1762 B.C.E., during the reign of King Hammurabi. Beltani is a naditu—a priestess and businesswoman, dedicated to the temple at birth. At puberty, she changed her name and gained her elevated naditu status in a ceremony where a priest examined the entrails of a sacrificed animal for omens. The naditu are an esteemed group drawn from Babylonia’s most affluent families. In Sippar, they are celibate and do not marry. They live inside the gagum, a walled area within the temple complex, but are free to come and go and receive visitors. Beltani owns barley fields and a tavern, with her brother managing these businesses while she fulfills her duties as a priestess.
This morning, he brings troubling news: the tavern keeper has been diluting wine with water. If true, this undermines the business that supports Beltani in her old age. The consequences for the tavern keeper could be severe, as diluting wine is punishable by death. The temple court is meeting that afternoon, and Beltani has just a few hours to determine the truth of the allegations. However, she cannot go to the tavern to investigate, as taverns are off-limits for priestesses, even those who own them. Entering could result in severe punishment. Instead, she sends for the tavern keeper to meet her at the temple of Shamash, the patron god of Sippar.
The temple, a stepped pyramid known as a ziggurat, is in the heart of the city and visible from miles away. It symbolizes the connection between heaven and earth and is considered the literal home of the god Shamash, who provided humanity with a code of laws and is the judge of the Babylonian pantheon. Beltani leaves an offering of bread and sesame oil in a private room, never entering the inner chamber of the temple, which is reserved for high priestesses and kings. Outside, worshippers play music and leave gifts, which are later collected to support temple workers, including the naditu.
The tavern keeper arrives with grim news. She claims that Beltani’s brother has been altering the weights used for payments to cheat customers. When confronted, he falsely accused her of watering down the wine. If true, Beltani’s brother is the dishonest one, and altering weights is also a crime punishable by death. Time is running out for Beltani to uncover the truth. Although she cannot visit the tavern, she decides to check on the barley fields managed by her brother to see if he has been honest there. In the granary, she discovers much more grain than he reported, indicating he has been cheating her out of her share.
Like all naditu in Sippar, Beltani inherited an equal portion of her father’s property alongside her brother, a rare circumstance for women in a time and place where property typically passed through men. However, families did not always honor these rights. While naditu traditionally partnered with male relatives in business, the law allows them to choose someone else if their brothers or uncles are not suitable. With the evidence she needs, she hurries to court.
A judge presides over the temple court alongside two naditu—the overseer of the gagum and a scribe. Beltani requests to remove her brother as her business manager, citing the granary as evidence of his mismanagement. The judge grants her request, and the scribe records the new contract in cuneiform on a wet clay tablet, settling the matter. She has protected her income and spared her brother’s life by withholding the full extent of his crimes. Perhaps it is time for her to adopt a younger priestess—someone to care for her in old age and inherit her property, who might better assist with her business.
Babylonian – Relating to the ancient city of Babylon or its empire, known for its advancements in law, architecture, and astronomy. – The Babylonian civilization is famous for creating one of the earliest written legal codes, known as the Code of Hammurabi.
Priestess – A female priest, especially in ancient religions, who performs sacred rituals and ceremonies. – In ancient Mesopotamia, a priestess would often conduct ceremonies in the temple to honor the gods and goddesses.
Tavern – A place where people in historical societies gathered to drink, eat, and socialize. – During the Middle Ages, the local tavern was a central hub for villagers to discuss news and events.
Temple – A building dedicated to religious worship and rituals in ancient societies. – The ancient Egyptians built grand temples along the Nile River to honor their deities.
Justice – The concept of fairness and the administration of laws in a society. – The Magna Carta was an important document in English history that aimed to ensure justice for all citizens.
Business – The practice of making one’s living by engaging in commerce and trade. – In ancient Rome, business transactions were often conducted in the bustling marketplaces known as forums.
Inheritance – The process by which property or titles are passed down from one generation to the next. – In medieval Europe, inheritance laws determined how a noble’s land and titles would be distributed among their heirs.
Ziggurat – A type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia, serving as a temple complex. – The ziggurat of Ur is one of the most well-preserved examples of this type of ancient architecture.
Society – A community of people living together and sharing customs, laws, and organizations. – The society of ancient Athens is often credited with laying the foundations for modern democracy.
Evidence – Information or facts that help prove or disprove something, often used in historical research. – Archaeologists use evidence from artifacts and ruins to learn about past civilizations.
