Page 179 - مجلة دلمون العدد 25 يونيو 2019م
P. 179
Marriage
Second Demand These legal items and laws still been
discussed in our modern societies. Don’t
Structure of Mesopotamian society: forget its origin.
Old societies including Mesopotamia were
divided into layers which gave status to the The Third Demand:
individual. In Mesopotamian society divided
into three layers. “THE FREE” (Awilum) Engagement and marriage in Mesopotamia
status individual male or female, (Muskenum) Marriage considered the main pillar of
limited income people and the last slaves creating a family in Mesopotamian society
in Akkadienne (Wardum) for the male and and all the followers of people across Arabia
(AMTUM) for female. It is almost the same until Islam. Since establishing a family was
in today’s Arabic language. This mentioned an important matter a special guidelines
legislations kept the same meaning even were made in order to satisfy the values
when names pronounced in different ways which they believed in.
like in Lipit Ishtar Law. The main concern was to produce off springs
Muskenum pronounced Miaktum is the who will be capable to work and protect the
same social status mentioned in Hammurabi family and in turn build strong society and
laws. The free woman was given a special defend the tribe or the nation.
social status example to that item no 175 in However, before marriage comes love
Hammurabi’s regulations whereby children and passion. Without them no marriage
belong to their mother if she is from a free accepted. One of the best evidence to that
status even if the father was not. It is written are the statues found from Summerian time
as follows “if a slave from the royal court which reveals the lovers in the Southern part
married daughter of a free man the slave of the Iraq.
owner has no right to his offspring”.
Text of Hammurabi Law (Loving wife and Husband)
4