Nabucco

Chapter 12: The Great Souk

584 BC

Two years later

Life had settled into a rhythm of sorts, but it could scarcely be described as a stable situation. The Judeans continued to disagree among themselves over how much of their old ways to preserve, and the Chaldeans waited sometimes impatiently for them to give up and adopt the Babylonian pantheon.

Miriam's mother established a reputation as a skilled artisan, who wove exquisite garments that found their way to the royal court.

Miriam was now 12 years old, with the skinny long limbs of an adolescent who would soon be as tall as her mother.

One day a message arrived that the owner of a garment sewn by Miriam's mother wanted to thank her, and the message was passed from the seller, who had contracted the work out to Tel Abib, to the governor.

The governor sensed an opportunity. He was aware the Miriam's mother was one of the people more open to Chaldean culture. Her garments followed the conventions of Chaldean fashion but brought her own striking twist to it.

He summoned them from their tent to his nearby compound.

Miriam, her mother and many others in the Tel had by now learned basic conversational Akkadian and could speak it better than the governor could speak Judean, so it had gradually become customary for Chaldeans to speak to Judeans in Akkadian.

"I've called you here because I have an offer to make you."

Miriam's mother was intrigued but remained silent.

"There is an opportunity for you to travel to Babylon. I will send an escort with you. You can find new materials for your work and bring them back here."

"That's very generous of you. What do I have to do in return?"

"Nothing! You serve the King well; it's appropriate for you to be rewarded."

Ahu-bani's motives were not entirely magnanimous. He would make sure that the trip went well, in the hope that Miriam's mother would talk up the greatness of Babylon on her return, helping him to wear down resistance among the Judeans.

So it was that, shortly afterwards, Miriam found herself accompanying her mother for the journey back to Babylon for the first time since their deportation.

They were carried on a cart drawn by a mule, with their chaperone riding close behind.

On arrival they slept in a bed for the first time since Jerusalem. It felt incredibly luxurious.

The next morning they set out for the Great Souk. The streets of Babylon were bustling and full of people, mostly dressed in fine clothes. In comparison to the clothes that Miriam and her mother wore from Tel Abib, nearly any garment was a step up; all it had to be was clean and had not lost its colour. Miriam felt self conscious about her tatty appearance. Her hair, too, had not been washed since she began her journey a week ago and was full of dust.

A new escort, a woman, was their guide and mother and daughter were led through the vast city to the Souk.

The souk, the marketplace, was demarcated by gates that bore the ubiquitous monogram of Nebuchadnezzar. After the gates were passed, however, chaos followed. The market was a riot of stallholders selling foods and wares of all kinds. It was an absolute free for all and there was a huge clamour of hundreds of simultaneous conversations haggling over price. Many stallholders sold raw ingredients like figs or dates, separated in wooden trays or sometimes just poured out as fragrant, conical piles of different coloured spices. Others sold prepared food that wafted their tasty smells down the aisles. In one area, men sat and drank beer while their wives shopped. In another area, beautifully made and lacquered game boards for the Royal Game of Ur were sold. A few boards were set up for demonstration and some old men stood about and watched closely as two players took the game very seriously. Towards the back of the souk, live animals were sold: dogs, cats, chickens, goats and lambs. It was an intensely chaotic space and Miriam, used to the relative silence of the Tel, found all the sound overwhelming.

Her mother, however, was focused on the purpose of their visit. After wandering about and looking at all the wares they finally found the area where the sellers of thread and fabric congregated.

Miriam's eyes widened. Some of the materials looked like they were made of gold and silver and shimmered when touched. The stallholders looked at her and her mother in an unwelcoming way, but then noticed their respectable looking chaperone and allowed them to browse freely.

Finally Miriam's mother picked out as many rolls of fabric and ornaments as she could carry. The woman silently accompanying them paid the women at each stall in shekels: cylindrical weights of silver that served as the Babylonian currency. On receiving payment they nodded and gestured their gratitude with hands brought together.

Miriam began to notice another girl about her age who was watching her from the further side of the aisle, eating an iced coconut delicacy. This girl was dressed plainly but in clothes that looked brand new. Miriam wondered where her mother was. Their eyes met and the girl smiled at her and stepped closer. She had a cheerful smile, like she was constantly on the verge of bursting out laughing. It was very disarming.

"I like this" she said, teasing out a length of blue tulle that Miriam was carrying.

"It's for my mother" she explained "She makes clothes."

"The clothes she makes must be very pretty" the girl said.

"Yes they are ... where is your mother?" Miriam asked, a little bluntly, wanting to move the conversation off herself.

"I'm here with my minder" the girl said, indicating over her shoulder an older woman who had been standing several paces away and not taking her eyes off her.

"Would you like some?" she said, holding out the sweet in her hand.

Miriam had lived her whole life to this point on rationed and foraged food. She held it to her lips and took a cautious bite, tasting its intense sweetness. Her cheeks sank in as she experienced the taste and didn't know what to say.

The girl laughed, delighted to see the joy she had brought to Miriam. "I'm Kassaya. What's your name?"

"I'm Miriam."

"I can show you more things. Ask your mother if you can come with me."

There was a brief exchange. Kassaya's minder and Miriam's escort sorted out where she would be returned and it was decided. The minder even took the rolls of fabric that Miriam had been carrying. With that, they left the souk and walked towards the centre of the city.

Header image credit: McKay Savage, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/5373673363