Harem politics: Royal women and succession crises in the Ancient Near East (c. 1400-300 BCE)

Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8174-1964 2019. Harem politics: Royal women and succession crises in the Ancient Near East (c. 1400-300 BCE). Woodacre, Elena, Dean, Lucinda H. S., Jones, Chris, Rohr, Zita and Martin, Russell, eds. The Routledge History of Monarchy, London and New York: Routledge, (10.4324/9781315203195-31)

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Abstract

This chapter explains the roles played by women in the politics of the succession, exploring how the harem functioned as both a site of ancestral continuity and as a locale of dynastic disharmony. It provides case studies of ancient Egypt, Assyria, Israel, Syria and Iran to offer some thoughts on the variability of roles which different types of women found themselves playing in the politicking of the Near East. The political impact which the women of the harem might have on a dynasty’s development was profound. Women were gathered together in ancient court societies to fulfil important social, cultural and ritual roles and to undertake vital functions in dynastic continuity as mothers. The political impact which the women of the harem might have on a dynasty’s development was profound. The royal harem was a large and diverse community. The women who made up the harem varied in age from little girls to adolescents, mature mothers and widows of dead kings.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Routledge
ISBN:	9781138703322
Last Modified:	15 Oct 2025 10:42
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/120536

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