Patricia Bou Pérez

The project investigates masculine performance in Iraq (Mesopotamia) and Syria during the first half of the second millennium BCE (Old Babylonian period). It will be carried out over a two-year period at the University of Freiburg under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Regine Pruzsinszky and is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

While gender studies have significantly reshaped the study of women, sexuality, and social roles in Antiquity, masculinities in the Old Babylonian period Assyriology remain understudied, particularly beyond elite and royal models.

The project addresses three main gaps: the limited focus on the Old Babylonian period compared to the second half of the first millennium BCE; the predominance of hegemonic and royal masculinities at the expense of non-elite men; and the insufficient engagement with theoretical frameworks from sociology and anthropology. It proposes to analyze letters and legal, and literary texts from major archives in Syria and Iraq, combining philological precision with sociological approaches centered on practice, agency, and social interaction.

The research pursues three objectives: (1) to characterize both hegemonic and performative masculinities in professional and familial contexts; (2) to identify regional variations in masculine expression; and (3) to develop an adapted analytical framework for the study of masculinities in cuneiform sources.

By integrating textual analysis with interdisciplinary theory, the project seeks to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of gender dynamics and male identities in ancient Mesopotamian societies.