Gender expression in the ancient Middle East and North Africa holds many surprises for a modern audience. Mesopotamian scribes believed that the world’s first author was a woman. In ancient Egypt and Arabia, women sometimes ruled independently as kings. And in the temples of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, clergy cross-dressed in religious ceremonies. This class studies gender as a social construct and considers the ways in which people in the ancient Middle East maintained and contested gender roles. We will read a variety of texts, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, and survey visual evidence to consider the complex interaction between the categories of gender and sexual orientation. We will also explore how modern assumptions about patriarchy, biological sex, and the Middle East can interfere with our ability to explore the full variety of gendered experiences in the ancient world.

Intended Audience:

Students with an interest in gender studies, anthropology, queer theory, the ancient Middle East, history or approaches to gender in history

Class Format:

Two 90-minute meetings weekly