What was the status of women and children in Mesopotamia?

The best
place to find information about much of Mesopotamian culture is through Hammurabi's Code. 
Hammurabi was a king in Mesopotamia who is most famous for creating a very strict and thorough
code of laws for his empire.  Included in the code are many references to women and children
which provide us with a clear picture of their status.  Mesopotamia was a very patriarchal
society in which men literally owned their wives and children.  This is...