Hist 1311-01
Oct 25, 2015 Assyrians and Indians have some very similar views on women and their marital rights, especially when discussing their duties. In “The Arthashastra” and “The Code of Assura,” women had had a strict life with only being able to do what her husband tells her. The two cultures which these documents come from, Assyria and India are comparable when discussing women’s marriage and property rights, but differ considering how women are punished for breaking marital conditions. Marriage is a sacred practice that both of these cultures take very seriously. Divorce is only granted after all else has failed. What shows commitment to marriage are the strict punishments, put in place by the Assyrians, for any violation to the spouse. “If the wife of a man go out from her house and visit a man where he lives, and he have intercourse with her, knowing that she is a man’s wife, the man and also the woman they shall be put to death.”(Assura p.1) This law gives a punishment to both guilty parties. As for the woman, she must be dedicated to her husband, or be really good at sneaking behind her husband’s back. If caught, she will be put to death. For the Indians, women have to be more faithful, because they have more to lose if divorced. “A woman who hates her husband, who has passed the period of seven turns of her menses, and who loves another, shall immediately return to her husband both the endowment and jewelry she has received from him, and allow him to lie down with another woman “(Kautilya p.1). The interpretation perceived is that even if the woman hates her husband and wants a divorce, but the husband does not, then the marriage is still binding. The woman has no say. The husband must agree for a divorce. If she loves another and still decides to leave, then she must return all of her possessions given to her by her husband during the marriage