You are invited to our 2025-26 Seminar series on ‘Domestic Life in the Ancient World’. This will be an hybrid event on Thursday 2nd April, 2026 at 19.00 pm (Greece time), 17.00 pm (Ireland time), 12.00 pm (EST), by Professor Kostas Kopanias (Professor in the Archaeology of Anatolia and the Near East, National Kapodistrian University of Athens) on “Gender at Home and Before the Law: Domestic Roles in Hittite Legal Texts and the Homeric Epic Tradition."
Abstract
This talk explores how gender roles are defined in Hittite law, with a focus on family life and everyday social relations. It examines rules on marriage, divorce, inheritance, work, and sexual behaviour in order to show how men and women were positioned within the household and before the law. The evidence presents a nuanced picture. In some areas, such as homicide and bodily injury, men and women are treated in similar ways. In others, especially in labour and family matters, clear differences appear. The talk also highlights the importance of financial compensation as a central tool for resolving conflicts. Payments are used not only for economic matters but also for regulating social relationships, including marriage and its breakdown. Special attention will be given to how the law handles issues such as adultery, sexual offences, and mixed marriages between free persons and slaves. These cases reveal how responsibility is assigned and how the legal system balances control with a certain degree of flexibility. The role of the household, the authority of the husband, and the position of women within this structure will be discussed through specific examples from the texts. Overall, the talk shows that Hittite law reflects a society shaped by hierarchy and status, but also by practical solutions aimed at maintaining order and stability. Gender is an important factor, but it operates within a broader framework in which legal status, family structure, and social roles are equally decisive.
Further information:
The IIHSA Seminar Series for 2025–2026 will explore various aspects of household life in the ancient world, including labour and production, gender roles, childhood, food practices, and broader issues of social structure and negotiation across different periods and regions. Designed for graduate students and anyone interested in engaging deeply with a topic beyond the traditional lecture format, the series offers participants an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas directly with experts in the field. Each seminar features a 30–40 minute presentation followed by an open discussion, co-led by the Assistant Director, to encourage active participation and dialogue. A brief bibliography is provided for those who wish to familiarize themselves with the seminar topic.
Bibliography
Bryce, T.R. 2002. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.
Haase, R. 2003. “The Hittite Kingdom.” In A History of Ancient Near Eastern Law, edited by R. Westbrook. Leiden; Boston: Brill.
Hoffner, H.A. 1997. The Laws of the Hittites. A Critical Edition. Leiden; New York; Köln: Brill.
For online attendance please register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jASQ5mZBS0O29Sw9E2DDSw
To attend in person, please register by email: irishinstitutegr@gmail.com