WOMEN UNDER POLYGAMY
tradition discountenancing the practice. That the Avesta Code was formed by primitive Puritans is apparent, for it reveals a fear of the lures of the flesh. Polygamy and the concubinate may have followed upon a long period of sexual restriction and asceticism as a natural reaction. The theory is at all events worthy of fuller and careful investigation.
Concubinage still exists in Persia, as in other parts of Asia, as a relic of the former magnificence of royal palaces. The old monarchs of the country lived in great state, and the seraglio was an essential part of the splendour of courts. No doubt the survival of the harem is to be attributed to this love of ostentation and display rather than to men's strongly-developed amativeness. The harem stands for wealth, social superiority, and property. It is a symbol of the passion for the private ownership of expensive things.
Letourneau fails to trace any sign of maternal supremacy in ancient Persia. Yet, judging by the quotations from old Persian writers, in the preceding chapter of this book, women possessed many privileges pointing to matriarchal ideals. To-day we see that the grandmother and the mother are held in the highest reverence.
Term-marriages, or temporary unions, were allowed in early days, and according to Dubeux, in La Perse, they are still permitted. This seems to be a form of the mutʾah marriage, to which I have referred. In
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