NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ Often the accomplishments of the less powerful are overlooked when the history books are written, because those who dominate a culture generally keep the records.
Annalisa Azzoni, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, will confound assumptions about the role of women in the ancient Near East during a three-part course that begins Monday, Oct. 4.
The class, titled "The Surprising Women of the Ancient Near East: What You Need to Know," will meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, 18 and 25 at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, 1008 19th Ave. S. The course costs $50. For more information or to register, call 615-340-7543 or e-mail spiritus@scarrittbennett.org, or go to www.vanderbilt.edu/divinity on the Internet.
"It is generally assumed that women in the ancient Near East did not leave
much of a mark in the recorded history, that women in these societies could not attain public roles, and that their roles within the family were completely subordinate to that of their male relatives," Azzoni said.
Not necessarily, it turns out.
"Did you know that the first named poet in history was a woman and a priestess?" Azzoni asks. "Or that a woman became Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt?
"This series will offer a glimpse on the surviving records of some remarkable women in the ancient Near East and will open a window into their public and private lives."
The Relevant Religion series, co-sponsored by the Scarritt-Bennett Center, is designed to highlight the relevance of religion to daily life. Vanderbilt University Divinity School is one of four non-denominational divinity schools in the nation.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
Jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu