ahencyclopedia:LOVE, SEX AND MARRIAGE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA: Marriage in ancient Mesopotamia w
ahencyclopedia:LOVE, SEX AND MARRIAGE IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA: Marriage in ancient Mesopotamia was of vital importance to the society, literally, because it ensured the continuation of the family line and provided social stability. Arranged marriages were the norm, in which the couple had often never met, and there were even bridal auctions where women were sold to the highest bidder, but human relationships in ancient Mesopotamia were just as complex and layered as those today and part of that complexity was the emotion of love. The historian Karen Nemet-Nejat notes, “Like people the world over and throughout time, ancient Mesopotamians fell deeply in love” (132). The popularity of what, today, would be called `love songs’ also attests to the commonality of deep romantic attachment between couples. A few of the titles of these poems illustrate this: `Sleep, begone! I want to hold my darling in my arms!’ `When you speak to me, you make my heart swell till I could die!’ `I did not close my eyes last night; Yes, I was awake all night long, my darling [thinking of you]’ (Bottero, 106) Read More Article by Joshua J. Mark on AHE -- source link
#history#ancient civilizations#mesopotamia