Women's Position in the Achaemenian and Assyrian Period based on Archaeological Evidence

Women’s position in historical periods and their participation in political and administrative affairs of government are considered as one of the main issues in development of societies. Women participation in societies is considered as a proper index to measure the rate of intellectual growth of the people of a society. This document examines the position of women in Iranian civilizations and Mesopotamia in the given historical periods (achaemenid and Assyrian). Among the most important archaeological evidence, monuments and relics of historical eras, we considered the role of women in political arena. The aim of this paper is to examine the position of women of the achaemenid era and compare it with Assyrian civilization and provide clear image of their performance based on existing documentation. This study is kind of a historical research with descriptive - analytical approach and adaptation of archaeological evidence ranging from Seals and Rock paintings to analyze the status of woman in the civilizations of Iran and Mesopotamia in the given historical periods using archaeological evidence. We have concluded that despite the th influences of Assyrian images on the achaemenid ones, we can say that indicators including respect for women, women participation in political and economic activities, and women autonomy and individual freedoms in private life in achaemenid women is higher than those indicators in the Assyrian period.