Ahaha (fl. c.1870 BC) was one of the world’s earliest known businesswomen. Part of a thriving community of merchants and merchants’ wives in the Assyrian Empire, these women left behind archives of ledgers, contracts, and personal notes detailing an entire community of go-getters, nearly 4,000 years ago. 

For Further Reading: 

• The secret letters of history’s first-known businesswomen

• Trade and contraband in ancient Assyria

• Housewives, Weavers and Businesswomen: Assyrian Women from Assur and Kanesh

• Women Work, Men are Professionals in the Old Assyrian Private Archives

This month we're talking about Go-Getters. Women who purposefully—or accidentally!—acquired life-changing wealth, good fortune, or influence.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Hannah Bottum, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, and Vanessa Handy. Special thanks to Shira Atkins. Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.

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