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What if it didn’t work out? Divorce was as easily initiated as marriage. Divorce could be brought about by either party. It was a private matter and the government took no interest in it.

The most common reasons for a husband to divorce his wife included the inability to bear children, especially a son; the desire to marry someone else, or that she simply stopped pleasing him. A woman could divorce her husband for mental or physical cruelty or adultery. In some cases, if the woman chose to divorce, she forfeited her right to communal property.

Once divorced, both men and women could remarry as soon as they wished. From the archives we have found, it seems that they readily did so. It’s also apparent that our ancient bride, with the ease of marriage and divorce and the financial protection she generally received, had a better time of it than some brides in modern times.