Princes and Princesses in the Middle Assyrian Archival Texts

Abstract

The article examines the roles of Assyrian princes and princesses as revealed by Middle Assyrian archival texts from the 14th to 11th centuries BCE. The study shows that princes were significant actors beyond succession disputes; they featured as economic agents, administrators, eponyms, property owners, representatives in official functions, and sometimes held military or ritual positions. Princesses, while less often named, were strategically married to local rulers or influential officials to secure political alliances, and sometimes served as priestesses or received gifts. Both princes and princesses participated in the king’s retinue and were integrated into the administration, economic life, and diplomacy of the Assyrian state, highlighting their practical, everyday involvement as well as their importance in the broader political and social structure. The article demonstrates how a wide variety of archival records—from economic and legal documents to marriage contracts—reveal the real, daily roles of royal children in Assyrian governance and society.