Dabitum was a slave-girl who lived in
Sippar around the time of the Babylonian kings
Hammurabi (c. 1792–1750 BC) and
Samsu-iluna (1750–1712 BC). Her name means "she-bear"; a rare name for a slave since animal names were typically used only by free people. Dabitum became pregnant as a young woman, By the time she had been pregnant for seven months, Dabitum had not felt the child move in a month and believed it to be dead.
Miscarriages were likely as emotionally devastating in ancient Mesopotamia as they are today. The language used in the letter indicates that Dabitum was devastated over the loss of her child and not just worried about her own fate; despite the child not having been born, she notably used the word
šerrum ("child") rather than the otherwise common medical term
kūbu ("
fetus"). The phrase "What I have told you now has happened to me" is also startling in that it is a very rare example of a slave making herself into a knower and speaker. to support them. == Legacy ==