The Great Gender Divergence

The Great Gender Divergence

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The Great Gender Divergence
The Great Gender Divergence
Queens of the Arabs
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Queens of the Arabs

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Alice Evans
Jul 18, 2023
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The Great Gender Divergence
The Great Gender Divergence
Queens of the Arabs
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Did you know that Arab tribes in the 8th-7th century BCE were led by women? While this is not evidence of wider matriarchy, it certainly rocks my priors. Arab women were once revered as leaders.

How do we know?

Assyrian royal inscriptions refer to nine ā€œQueens of the Arabsā€.

Bennett 2021

Arab Queens are referenced by multiple sources, details Assyriologist Ellie Bennett. Their activities are detailed in both palace architecture and stelae.

Bennett 2021

Were these just royal wives?

No.

Queens of the Arabs are always referred to as ā€˜Å”arratu’, writes Ellie Bennet. Assyrians otherwise reserved this term for goddesses. Assyrians did not use it to refer to their own royal women. Assyrians used the term to denote the Queens’ superlative authority, as ā€˜female kings’.

Adiye is the only Queen of the Arabs described as married. The others were not described as spouses. They exercised power independently.

Queen Samsi is explicitly described as leading a military campaign against the Assyrians. Other queens were likewise described as militant.

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