The role of women in ancient societies Throughout ancient history, the role of women in their respective societies varied from culture to culture. Some cultures considered women equal. Others considered women inferior. I will explore the roles these women played in ancient society. Some of our earliest known ancestors were people known as hunter/gatherers. These individuals were constantly on the move in search of food and supplies. Because of this nomadic lifestyle, each person played an equally vital role in survival, regardless of gender. Men were generally seen as hunters and women as gatherers. Fast forward to 5900 BC in Mesopotamia things began to look very different. Women's rights in Mesopotamia were not equal to those of men. However, during the early periods women were free to go to market, own and sell property, take care of legal matters for their absent men, and engage in business for themselves. Women of higher status, such as priestesses and members of royal families, could learn to read and write and were granted considerable administrative authority. Various powerful goddesses were worshiped and in some cities they were the main deities. However, the position of women varied from city to city and changed over time. In Egypt, women enjoyed unusual freedoms, not common in ancient times. Both men and women had the right to own and sell property, make contracts, defend themselves and testify, marry and divorce, and pursue legal disputes in court. Married couples could own property jointly and protect themselves from divorce by entering into marriage contracts, which set out the husband's financial obligations to his wife and children if the marriage ended. Women were not allowed… middle of paper… one can say that women's rights have progressed in some societies only to regress in later ones. However, overall I would say that women's rights have improved to this day. Hatshepsut was the pharaoh of Egypt from 1479 to 1458. The power of pharaoh passed to her from her brother, Thutmose II, who was also her husband. Zoroaster also known as Zarathustra, was the founder of Zoroastrianism; belief in one god. Alexander, also known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Greek kingdom of Macedonia. His conquests of the Persian Empire and Egypt created a new Hellenistic world. Aristotle was a Greek philosopher. A student of Plato, his philosophy was based on the rational analysis of the material world. The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity.