of women.11 This means that large numbers of women were out of the house and unable to shoulder their household tasks. A Sumerian priest with a flounced skirt Marriage was as much a link between families as between individuals. Families negotiated marriages for their children. Betrothal or the engagement was a contract normally entered into by the fathers of the prospective bride and groom. During the Ur III period this involved a legal oath taken in the name of the king and commonly included