58G A SKETCH OF BABYLONIAN SOCIETY. 



a connection with the family. Although then, in this case, the idea of 

 the family did not rest upon blood relationship, it nevertheless appeared 

 strong - in all directions. 



If, now, we compare the inference from the particulars gathered con- 

 cerning the family with that drawn from the inscriptions, it is shown 

 that what is apparent from the documents was also legally established. 

 For example, sons-in-law could pass over into the family of the wife and 

 become legally associated to the ancestor worship of this family. 



As regards the relation of the family to the temple, we must make a 

 distinction between the oldest cults existing within the domains of the 

 individual families and the cults of entire cities. No especial imposts 

 were necessary for the former, since these cults were cared for solely 

 by the members of the respective families. For the latter, on the con- 

 trary, special taxes were raised by the king. Occasionally, however, it 

 happened, also, that the king assigned to a temple a whole family, who 

 then had to provide for its maintenance. This probably occurred for 

 the most part after insurrections had been quelled. 



In the deportations so often practiced by the Assyrians, the question 

 is always of the noble families, who were thereby placed in a trying 

 situation. They might, indeed, carry on their religious observances 

 even at their place of exile, but were yet obliged to feel themselves in 

 banishment, since, according to its idea, ancestor worship was attached 

 to the graves of their forefathers. Upon the latter point we have but 

 little material; nevertheless, this much is evident from it — that it was 

 not necessary that the graves should be separate. We find, on the 

 contrary, in Babylonia, great sepulchers, whither the dead from whole 

 districts were brought. These sepulchers were naturally the centers 

 for the surrounding district, and individual families connected them- 

 selves, respectively, with such a temple and such a sepulcher. To 

 understand the development of the family upon the religious basis of 

 ancestor worship is extremely important in the historical consideration 

 of the Semitic nations, and without this understanding a number of 

 facts can not be explained. 



The attempt has been made to prove the existence of a matriarchate 

 also among the Semites, and it has been thought r^ossible to adduce 

 evidence for this view from the oldest inscriptions. This theory 

 depends upon the arrangement of the names of the gods and god- 

 desses and of the ideograms for man and woman. Nevertheless, the 

 fact that in the Sumerian texts the feminine element precedes the 

 masculine is capable of explanation on other grounds. 



It appears, however, from the Old Babylonian documents that the 

 wife could conclude independent private contracts; and that she had a 

 legal standing in the family circle as well as before a court of law; that 

 is, she was capable of being her own representative in regard to her 

 own affairs. She had her private property and retained the right to 

 dispose of it. Between the thirtieth and the twentieth centuries B. C. 



