Old Age in Sumer: Life Expectancy and Social Status of the Elderly
Curchin, Leonard
Florilegium, Volume 2 (1980) 61-70
Abstract
One of the more intriguing topics in the still largely untrodden field of Sumerian social history is the significance and social impact of old age. The present paper is an attempt to clarify the meaning of longevity within the Sumerian context, Sumerian attitudes toward old age, and the role of the elderly in Sumerian society.
The degree of old age attained by inhabitants of Sumer is not well attested. Among the rulers catalogued in the Sumerian King-List (exclud
