The expression She wears the pants in the family has
been used to describe a multitude of strong women over the centuries. However,
none may fit the phrase so well as Queen Semiramis of Assyria.
Born a Chaldean
princess in the ninth century B.C., she was married off to King Shamsi-Addad Five of Assyria, who controlled most of Mesopotamia
at the time. When her hubby kicked the bucket in 812 B.C., she took over the
throne as regent for her son Adad-Nirari.
Under her
rule, a new, more efficient system of irrigation was employed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Her cities Nineveh and Nimrud became some of the most modern cities of their time. She won more land for Assyria, sending war expeditions as far away as Germany and India!
It was on
one of these expeditions, while crossing the mountains, that Semiramis thought of the prototype for her most famous invention:
pants. Thats right, a woman invented pants.
Not only did pants act as camouflage, ward off cold, and make riding easier, but they also made it easier for women
to masquerade as men, paving the way for millions of fed-up females who disliked being treated as property.
When she
died at the age of eighty-five, her son, now king, erected several monuments in her honor. Her tomb was one of the most elaborate
constructions of the time. In later years, ancient writers would praise her for
her intelligence and leadership. However, Semiramiss greatest tribute is the widespread use of her wonderful invention, which
is worn every day by billions of men and women worldwide.