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carol27
747 posts

Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 16:57
Ooh, it had to come didn't it? Reading tjj s ponderings, it set me a thinking. Do you suppose women just breast fed & gathered? Or were they like Lionesses & quite a bit of the animal kingdom where the female of the species sorts it out? Whoever, don't start, I'm largely thinking about lions.I've often noticed that within said animal kingdom that it's the males who are highly decorated & attractive. Even in some human tribes. Is breast, womb, fecundity expressed by the mounds & curves?
In this day of hairless bodies; fat filled lips & plastic filled breasts; near starvation physiques; stretched grotesque faces & designer vaginas; women, we think we're feminist & we get nowhere near.
Whoa, we've travelled so far. I think our Neolithic women would have had it far better sorted out:)
tjj
tjj
3606 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 17:48
Oh Carol! How could I not respond. A great subject to research - I've come up with a book by Elizabeth Wayland Barber - "Women's Work, The First 20,000 Years". On ferreting a bit further, I discover it is sub-titled "Women, Cloth and Society" drawing on the Middle East and Greek Mythology for its inspiration. Its been around a while though I hadn't come across it before.
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/10/books/a-job-fit-for-a-goddess.html?pagewanted=all

But what about our own ancient Britons - nothing ever written down. I would imagine their role was gathering seeds, fruit,nuts etc., making the utensils to cook with, all whilst giving birth to and caring for babies (old age seems to have been quite rare). I also imagine this was accepted as equally important as the male protector/hunter role. Perhaps the role of women wasn't demoted until the onset of patriarchal Christianity when the concepts of virgin/whore/witch were invented. There is more information in Iron Age times with the invasion of the Romans - and Boudicca. Who yes, was a Lioness.
spencer
spencer
3065 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 17:58
With no written record anything is possible, including, for example, on occasion the top dog at Ness of Brodgar being, for want of a better word, a bitch.
tjj
tjj
3606 posts

Edited Mar 05, 2017, 18:19
Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 18:18
spencer wrote:
With no written record anything is possible, including, for example, on occasion the top dog at Ness of Brodgar being, for want of a better word, a bitch.


From Thesaurus.com
"bitch O.E. bicce, probably from O.N. bikkjuna "female of the dog" (also fox, wolf, and occasionally other beasts), of unknown origin. Grimm derives the O.N. word from Lapp pittja, but OED notes that "the converse is equally possible." As a term of contempt applied to women, it dates from c.1400; of a man, c.1500, playfully, in the sense of "dog." In modern (1990s, originally black English) slang, its use with reference to a man is sexually contemptuous, from the "woman" insult."BITCH. A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking"

Hope that helps ..
carol27
747 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 18:18
Well surely the notion of the virgin birth & the ostracisation of menstrual women denotes some sort of "shift" change in the way that women's influence was perceived? Maybe, just maybe their position of importance was denigrated at this point in time? We have to ask ourselves why this was deemed necessary:)
tiompan
tiompan
5758 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 18:36
carol27 wrote:
maybe their position of importance was denigrated at this point in time?


The move from foraging to farming in the Neolithic transition is usually considered as being one where patriarchy begins to become entrenched .
spencer
spencer
3065 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 19:06
I stand corrected, illuminated and contrite through linguistic ignorance..but would be offended if you really thought my terminology was intentionally derogatory and trust that this is not the case.
spencer
spencer
3065 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 19:10
Because a lot of men are testosterone filled self important 'superior' twats, particularily the ones who grow bushy beards?
nigelswift
8112 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 19:30
How did you know I have a beard?
spencer
spencer
3065 posts

Re: Neolithic women
Mar 05, 2017, 21:19
News to me : ) I was excluding MPP of course. And Pryor, at a pinch.
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