The Gender of Garments in First Millennium BCE Mesopotamia: An inquiry through texts and iconography

Résumé En

The aim of this chapter is to understand what makes a garment gendered or un-gendered in 1st millennium BC Babylonia. The study will be based on the cuneiform texts from the Babylonian temples and from the private archive. It will also take into consideration the iconographic depictions on cylinder seals and reliefs panels. The inquiry will focus on garments worn by all social categories from the male and female slaves to the kings and queens. According to what criteria was a garment considered feminine, masculine or neutral in Babylonian society? At what stage of the manufacturing process did a garment become male or female? Whereas the terminology of garments worn by the people shows little gender differences, there are situations where specific garments were exclusively given to men or to women. Despite the rarity of depictions of women, the iconography allows to see differences in the shape and adornments of male and female garments.