810 occupations: The Middle East been discovered from the Middle Kingdom (ca 2040–ca 1640 b.c.e.) Women generally worked in the service of other women and were not allowed to oversee the work of men, though there is a rare example of a female vizier in the Sixth Dynasty (ca 2323–ca 2150 b.c.e.) In the palace women held many titles, including overseer of the singers, overseer of amusements, and mistress of the royal harem Titles of retail careers have also been discovered, such as overseer of the house of weavers and overseer of the wig shop, and evidence also suggests that women sold their own products at market The most prestigious profession for women, however, was the priesthood Women normally functioned in the cult of Neith, the patron goddess of the city of Saïs, protector of women, and goddess of weaving and of war and hunting, and the cult of Hathor, the cow-headed goddess of childbirth, sexual love, music, and dancing Women had lesser roles in the cults of all gods They functioned as impersonators of the goddess and as musicians or dancers during temple rituals Priestesses also worked one in four months on a rotation system Some priestesses would have undergone training as midwives in the Temple of Neith at Saïs Most midwives, however, would have learned their skills at the hands of the village women and would have received no formal training Midwives would have been in great demand, as most women had at least five children Other women became wet nurses for the elite Royal wet nurses were held in very high esteem, and children of a royal wet nurse were considered “milk siblings” to the king It was normal for children to be nursed for three years as a safeguard against pregnancy and also a way of ensuring that they were not exposed to contaminated food The role of professional mourner—hired for funerals to wail, throw dust over their heads, tear their clothes, and scratch their cheeks in grief—was also available for the unskilled woman In paintings of tomb mourning scenes, young girls can be seen standing among the women, indicating that they were taught the skill from an early age THE MIDDLE EAST BY Granite statue of Ankhwa, the shipbuilder, possibly from Saqqara, Egypt (ca 2650 b.c.e.); Ankhwa holds an adze, a woodworking tool indicative of his trade (© The Trustees of the British Museum) Women were unable to hold bureaucratic positions except in private houses, and titles such as steward of the storehouse, steward of the food supplies, steward of cloth, and seal bearer, who would have held the official seal of the homeowner, exist from the Old Kingdom (ca 2575–ca 2134 b.c.e.) The titles of treasurer, major domo (“mayor of the palace”), and superintendent of the dining room have also HEATHER D BAKER The sources for information about occupations in the ancient Near East are cuneiform tablets inscribed in a variety of languages, especially Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, and Old Persian Among the earliest intelligible tablets are some bearing lists of professions These tablets come from the site of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia, from archaeological levels dated to about 3200 b.c.e They show that the specialization of labor was already highly developed in Sumerian cities at this early period Not only are many different occupations listed, but there are also clear signs of hierarchical organization, with terms for various kinds of officials and administrators and also for supervisors and overseers responsible for groups of craftsmen and workers