The Position of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia

In addition to Ninsun, Gilgamesh encounters another wise woman who provides guidance. After passing through the mountains of Mashu, Gilgamesh encounters Shiduri. Lost in his wanderings, he is forced to seek advice from her on how to reach Uta-napishti. This humbling of himself to seek advice almost contradicts Gilgamesh’s previous demeaning attitudes towards woman, and is the beginning of Gilgamesh accepting the status women hold in society. A different type of guide that appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh is a girl named Shamhat. After having sex for seven days and seven nights, Enkidu was no longer able to return to live amongst the animals and was forced to learn the ways of civilized life, which Shamhat taught him. At this point, Shamhat was able to effectively manipulate Enkidu. He listened to her instructions and was even convinced to start a fight with Gilgamesh, which ended up backfiring when they became friends.

The power of women to influence the men around them becomes most effective when efforts are taken to manipulate said men. Ishtar, the goddess of love, exemplifies these motives when she used her sexual power over men. Not only did she use it to get the man she wanted, but she used this power to dominate the men that loved her. Knowing that her love would ultimately lead to his downfall, Gilgamesh rejects her marriage proposal and points out her previous relationships. Angered, Ishtar has her father send the Bull of Heaven against Gilgamesh and Enkidu. After the two conquer this opposition, the gods decide that Enkidu must die for this act. “Watched them from Cedar Tree- one among them must die” (Temple, VII, 13-14). Ishtar’s role in the Epic of Gilgamesh was a very powerful one in which she manipulated both men and gods to get what she wanted, in one way or another.

Portrayed as guides and leaders in positions of domestication, woman acted as powerful influencers and supporters of the men around them. It can easily be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is Gilgamesh himself that exposes the status of women and the type of respect they deserve in society. His actions reveal that women can be looked up to, and that they should be given recognized positions that give justice to their services. This is demonstrated by the way he listens to Utnapishtim’s wife, “Gilgamesh has come hither, he has wearied himself… What gift will you make to him, that he may return to his land” (Temple, XI, 17-20). After Utnapishtim’s wife asks her husband to have mercy on Gilgamesh for his long journey, his attitude towards women changes by the time he returns to Uruk.