Dissertation final revision draft 9

178 Pages·2013·16.63 MB·English

Dress and Identity in Old Babylonian Texts

By

Terri-lynn Wai Ping Hong Tanaka

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the

requirements for the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in

Near Eastern Studies

in the

Graduate Division

of the

University of California, Berkeley

Committee in charge:

Professor Niek Veldhuis, Chair
Doctor Laurie Pearce
Professor Gary Holland

Fall 2013
© 2013 by Terri-lynn W.P.H. Tanaka
Abstract

Dress and Identity in Old Babylonian Texts

by

Terri-lynn Wai Ping Hong Tanaka

Doctor of Philosophy in Near Eastern Studies

University of California, Berkeley

Professor Niek Veldhuis, Chair

The present study argues that using dress theory is a productive means of reading
cuneiform texts from ancient Mesopotamia. Although anthropological studies on dress
have flourished in recent years, and despite the economic and social importance of dress
in ancient Mesopotamia, previous research has focused on either archaeological remains
or pictorial representations of dress; however, anthropological theories on dress have not
yet been applied to ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform texts written in Sumerian and
Akkadian. This is surprising, given that the rich and varied cuneiform textual tradition
provides a unique perspective on these cultural phenomena.

Three major anthropological theories on dress have been identified: the semiotic
approach, in which an item of dress functions as a symbol, representing not the item of
dress itself, but an abstract idea or concept; the dress as material object approach, in
which the focus is on the item of dress itself as an object that can communicate aspects of
identity; and the use of dress in the construction of identity approach, which emphasizes
the surface of the body, and looks at the body as a medium on which identity can be
constructed using dress. It builds off of the second approach in that it requires
understanding what aspects of identity an item of dress is communicating, in order to
understand how the individual is using dress to actively construct identity.

This study starts with a philological analysis of items of dress that appear in texts to
discern what aspects of identity are expressed through the item (dress as material object
approach) in order to examine what identity the individual is constructing (or having
constructed for him or her) by the use of various items of dress (dress used in the active
construction of identity approach). Since dress plays an important role in a wide variety
of texts (from legal to administrative to epistolary) throughout all of Mesopotamian
history, it would be beyond the scope of this study to examine every text in which dress
appears. The purpose of this study is to apply these methods to a selected group of texts
from the Old Babylonian period, to demonstrate both the use and the usefulness of these
methods in reading ancient Mesopotamian texts. This study examines selected texts in
three different contexts: literary, legal, and ritual.

1
The chapter on literary contexts focuses on the composition “Inana’s Descent to the
Netherworld,” and argues that identity, as expressed through dress, plays a key role in
understanding various aspects of the text, including the significance of Inana’s dressing
and undressing, why Inana was judged for her attempt to take over the Netherworld, and
why she handed over Dumuzi as a substitute for herself.

The chapter on legal contexts focuses on the use of the hem of the garment in legal
contexts. It argues that the hem of the garment is equivalent to a cylinder seal in
expressing an individual’s legal identity, which carries with it both rights and
responsibilities. As a result, it can be used to bring about a change of identity for the
woman in both marriage and divorce.

The chapter on ritual contexts focuses on the use of dress to bring about a change of
identity through a rite of passage at various points in the life cycle: at birth, and at death.
At birth, dress is used to start constructing the newborn’s gender identity (as opposed to
its biological sex). At death, dress is used to transfer the deceased from being a living
member of the community to being among the dead.

Thus, looking at dress as a material object that can communicate identity, in order to
understand how the individual involved is constructing his or her identity (or having his
or her identity constructed) is a valuable way of reading (or re-reading) ancient
Mesopotamian cuneiform texts. Not only does it make it possible to investigate the idea
of identity, which might otherwise not be directly accessible, but it also illuminates
aspects of the texts that might be puzzling or else overlooked, if items of dress are treated
not as items of dress, per se, but as symbols that represent something else.
2
To the one who has done immeasurably more than all I could have asked or imagined

i
TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION . . . . . . . . i

TABLE OF CONTENTS . . . . . . . ii

LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . iv

LIST OF FIGURES . . . . . . . . v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . vi

Chapter

1. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . 1

1.1 Dress . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Identity in Mesopotamia . . . . 10
1.2.1 Identity in Literary Contexts . . . . 13
1.2.2 Identity in Legal Contexts . . . . 16
1.2.3 Identity in Ritual Contexts . . . . 18
1.3 Goals of the Study . . . . . 18

2. DRESS AND IDENTITY IN LITERARY CONTEXTS:
“INANA’S DESCENT TO THE NETHERWORLD” . 20

2.1 Introduction . . . . . . 20
2.2 Inana’s Dress: Putting on Her Identity . . 27
2.2.1 tug2šu-gur-ra (turban) . . . . . 27
2.2.2 hi-li (ornament) . . . . . 29
2.2.3 tug2pala3 (pala-garment), šembi (kohl), na4za-gin3 di4-di4-la2
(small lapis lazuli beads), and har kug-sig (gold ring) 36
17
2.2.4 na4nunuz tab-ba (segmented bead) . . . 47
2.2.5 tu-di-tum (toggle pin) . . . . 48
2.3 Inana’s Dress vs. Her Stated Identity and Intention . 52
2.4 Ereškigal’s Trick: Remove Inana’s Identity . . 55
2.5 Transgressing the Boundaries of Identity: An Explanation
for Other Aspects of the Text . . . . 58
2.6 Conclusion . . . . . . 65

3. DRESS AND IDENTITY IN LEGAL CONTEXTS: THE HEM
OF THE GARMENT . . . . . . 66

3.1 Introduction . . . . . . 66
3.2 Hem as a Marker of Legal Identity . . . 68
3.2.1 Hem as More than a Symbol for the Person . . 68
ii
3.2.2 The Use of the Hem in Lieu of a Seal . . 72
3.2.2.1 Sealing . . . . . 72
3.2.2.2 Hem in Lieu of a Seal: The Evidence . 73
3.2.2.3 Why can a hem be used in lieu of a seal? . 78
3.3 Hems and Change in Identity . . . 81
3.3.1 Marriage . . . . . . 82
3.3.1.1 Marriage in Old Babylonian Mesopotamia . 82
3.3.1.2 Tying the terhatum in the Bride’s Hem . 83
3.3.1.3 Familial Affiliation and Identity of the Woman 84
3.3.1.4 Familial Identity of the Bride’s Children . 89
3.3.1.5 Tying the terhatum in the Woman’s Hem:
The Initiation of the Change in Identity . 93
3.3.2 Cutting the Wife’s Hem in Divorce . . . 98
3.3.2.1 The Effect of Cutting the Hem on the
Woman’s Identity . . . . 99
3.3.2.2 The Effect of the Cutting of the Hem on the Man’s
Obligation to the Woman . . . 99
3.3.2.3 The Effect of Cutting the Hem on the
Marital Property . . . . 100
3.4 Conclusion: Why use the hem in changing identity? . 105

4. DRESS AND IDENTITY IN RITUAL CONTEXTS . 107

4.1 Introduction . . . . . . 107
4.2 Gender Identity at Birth . . . . 109
4.3 Change of Identity in Death and Burial Rituals . 123

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . 138

BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . 143

APPENDIX A: SOURCES FOR “INANA’S DESCENT TO THE
NETHERWORLD” . . . . 169

APPENDIX B: VAS 17 33 (VAT 8381) . . . . 171
iii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Classification system for dress . . . . . 2
Table 2: Summary of anthropological approaches to dress . . . 9
Table 3: Order of items of dress that Inana puts on . . . . 23
Table 4: Order of items of dress that Inana puts on (as reported to Ereškigal) 24
Table 5: Order of items of dress that are removed from Inana . . 25
Table 6: Summary of aspects of identity as expressed by Inana’s dress . 52
Table 7: Inana vs. Dumuzi: Dress and sitting on a throne . . . 60
Table 8: Evidence for hem in lieu of a seal . . . . . 75
Table 9: Value of the terhatum . . . . . . 88
iv
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: BM 91075 . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 2: Hem impression (BM 81023) . . . . . 74
Figure 3: Stages in marriage . . . . . . . 82
Figure 4: HMA 9-708 . . . . . . . 120
Figure 5: HMA 9-722 . . . . . . . 121
v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The completion of a dissertation cannot happen without the support and
encouragement of others, and it is a pleasure to acknowledge those who have made it
possible for me to do so. First, I would like to thank my dissertation committee. My
advisor, Professor Niek Veldhuis, tirelessly supported both my work and my professional
development. His generosity in sharing his impressive breadth of knowledge with me has
played a key role in shaping this dissertation. Dr. Laurie Pearce, through her exemplary
teaching, mentoring, and editing, has helped me to find my scholarly voice. Professor
Gary Holland has been a source of encouragement since the beginning, and it is because
of his prompting that I presented my first paper at a professional conference.
I would also like to thank a number of other scholars who have freely shared with
me their insights on various topics: Professor Jerry Cooper, Professor Francesca
Rochberg, Dr. John Hayes, Dr. Carol Bier, and Professor Bob Coote. I appreciate their
interest in me and in my work.
I am also grateful to the inhabitants of the Cuneiform Seminar Room, both past
and present, especially Mary Frances Wogec, Dr. Madeleine Fitzgerald, Dr. Mark Avila,
John Carnahan, Glenn Magid, Jay Crisostomo, and Eduardo Escobar. Thank you for the
countless hours of discussion on a wide range of topics, which helped me both to grow
intellectually and also to stay sane throughout the process.
I would also like to acknowledge the support of other fellow graduate students,
including Dr. Cindy Ausec, Dr. Jean Li, and Madeline Pruitt, as well as the staff of the
Near Eastern Studies department, especially Dr. Shorena Kurtzikidze, without whose
help and encouragement, the process would have taken even longer than it did. I am also
appreciative of the support I received from my other graduate school friends: the
members of the DLKC not mentioned elsewhere, including Dr. Yasmin Syed and Dr.
Karalee Harding, and the members of the MWBS, including Dr. Janise Rodgers, Dr.
Jeanne Stachowiak, and Dr. Roselyn Hsueh.
Thank you also to the Assyriological section of Venice International University’s
Seminar in the Humanities, 2011-2012, especially Professor Lucio Milano, Professor
Gebhard Selz, the late Professor Joan Westenholz, Professor Jack Sasson, Dr. Saana
Svärd, and Dr. Charles Halton.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to my family. Thanks especially to my parents,
Wallace and Aylene Hong, for their unwavering love and support, even when I chose to
study something so obscure. Thanks also to my family at EBFMC, for the privilege of
sharing life together.
Last, but not least, I would like to acknowledge my husband, Royce. “Thank
you” doesn’t even begin to express my indebtedness for the years of love, support,
sacrifice, and service. Without him, I would never have begun this journey, nor would I
ever have completed it.
vi