Role of Women in Prehistoric Societies
The XX century witnessed dramatic changes
in political, economic and social life, which, in its turn, brought about
certain changes in social status and functions of man and especially woman. As
a result of such changes, more women can be now seen in governments and top
management, this evolution being inevitable. Transferring a wit “Capture the
gist!” by Kozma Prutkov, a wise man of Russian literature, the gist of this
evolution can be seen in the prehistoric times, when social functions of people
started to form due to some physiological and cultural aspects. Namely social
function of women and its development is the main issue under consideration.
What is a woman? According to the Wikipedia
article on “Woman” it is
also sometimes used to
identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such
Paraphrased, the definition
of a woman can be suggested as follows:
a woman is a human being of a female sex who differs from a man
according to several criteria: physiological (constitution: size, primary and
secondary sex characters), psychological (she is more sensitive and
sentimental, more emotional and intuitive) and social (the place in society and
social role).
To learn women’s social role and its
evolution one should address some sciences specially designed for
reconstruction of old environment. Thus, the relics of the prehistoric times unearthed by archaeologists serve a premise on the
basis of which social relations of the primitive society can be reconstructed
ethnographically (Zalizniak 119 - 128).
Thus, the first wide ethnographic
reconstructions of this kind performed by Boris Symchenko refer to Upper Paleolithic (14 - 10 ka
BP) and Mesolithic(10 – 8 ka BP). He
examined the actual life of such arctic people as Nganasan, Yukaghir and Sami
who still preserve the life style similar to the same of the prehistoric
hunters. He found out that according
to the function of women in society Nganasan people, for example, divide women
in three age groups. The youngest women, or kopto,
not married and without children, help to look after the latter and dress meat.
It is prohibited for them to make clothes to married men, children or even to
their unmarried brothers. Their main function is to store wood for fire. Ny
women, or those who are married and have children, work with meat of dead deer
and the skin, store food, make clothes and the covering for summer lodging. The
ethnographer underlines the more respectful attitude to the eldest women, inie, who are responsible for solving
conflicts and food distribution. They approve marriages; ensure celebration
activities, sacred and social rules (Symchenko 91). In other words, if the
ethnographically obtained data is transferred to ancient hunting societies, a Stone Age woman had a wide range of responsibilities
for her family such as dressing the game, cooking meals, making clothes, and other activities.
To compare them with a man’s responsibilities, these were not jobs but just
domestic chores.
Conversely, a man was the main and sole
bread winner of the family as it was he who hunted wild animals to provide
food. A man’s death or
physical incapacity meant starvation and even death of the whole family. The
essential social function of a man in the prehistoric times can hardly be
argued (Zalizniak 119 - 128). Although, ethnography witnesses that the Arctic
Men did not possess the hunted food in Arctic societies. As it is proved
ethnographically, the prey belonged to women. It was prohibited to a man to
touch a killed animal (Symchenko 98).
Still, due to the change of
the climate the life of prehistoric people had to be adapted to it. If in Upper Paleolithic with its constant coldness
life of people was rather stable – reindeer made the migration on the same bankside
twice a year for centuries; in snowy winters of Mesolithic the hunters had to chase
savage animals (Zalizniak 160). The climate influenced not only the way of
hunting and lifestyle in general; social function of women also underwent some
changes.
AS it can be see, when the common main
women responsibilities remained the same during the whole prehistoric and even
historic times, still the following differences can be observed. As Upper Paleolithic women mostly sat in
their lodging watching fire and preparing food, their winter lifestyle was
rather calm and passive. In contrast, the whole winter Mesolithic women changed
their camp; they had to gather portative lodging and all the equipment to move
to their husbands who hunted some animals to eat. Women carried the luggage
themselves on special sledges. The
second main difference is connected with women’s responsibilities in their
community. When Upper Paleolithic women had only to dress the reindeer meat
during the hunting season (the meat provided by men), Mesolithic women started
to provide food to the community themselves: they gathered berries, nut, and
eggs of wild birds (Zalizniak 167). Comparing the two Stone Age periods and
taking into account all mentioned above, we can stay that if some primarily
women function were the same both in Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic, their
social function in the community
became more active and acquired some new productive features.
When researching
ethnography, not only society, but also spiritual life and outlook can be
analyzed. Thus, Lyudmila Zhukova (2003) underlines that the folklore reflects
the transmission from the hunting Mesolithic economy to Neolithic economy of
production. She is sure that it is only due to severe Siberian climate and the
distance of the district modern population of Central and East Siberia have
practically the same lifestyle as their ancestry had about 5 thousand years ago.
In the great amount of so-called
religious verses or appeals to some supernatural powers, collected by
ethnographer Vladimir Jochelson in the Arctic societies, a reader can notice
such protectors and assistants as Mother of Ice, Mother of Land, Mother of
Water and other female characters. If practically all vital elements of nature
are represented in pagan outlook of Arctic people by female creatures, the fact
serves for the important attitude to women in their communities.
Still, when considering the
question of specific social function of women in the Paleolithic archaeological
materials cannot be ignored. These are numerous statuettes of so-called Paleolithic Venus – small
figures made mostly from sort stone, bones of mammoth or other animals. The
figurines are known to have exaggerated womanly features (hips, breasts and
belly), this fact given a number of interpretations by scientists (Stoliar157)
(Appendix 1).
Thuswise, Sara M. Nelson (2012)
tried to analyze more common logical
explications of the Venus origin. She underlines that the twelve researches (Bamouw, 1978; Campbell, 1988;
Chard, 1975; Clark, 1977; Eddy, 1984; Fagan, 1986; Hester and Grady, 1982;
Jurmain, 1981; Pfeiffer, 1985; Poiriee, 1987; Smith, 1976; Wenke, 1984) indicate
four main ideas in their studies. These ideas are fertility, Goddess or cult, erotic meaning and some artistic or stylized masterpiece. Chart 1 shows the relations between
these probable meanings studied by the suggested scientists. The vertical axis
shows the general number of the researcher who admit this or that meaning
presented by the horizontal axis. As it can be seen from the chart, nine
scientists out of twelve believe that Venus figurines reveal some fertility
symbols when six persons stay that the statuettes are artistic or stylized
masterpieces. Five authors agree that the statuettes are Paleolithic erotic
symbols as well as five ones believe they appeared due to some Cult or mean a
Goddess.
Chart 1
It should be admitted that when
the question of the figurines function remains disputable, no male figurines
were found.
To sum up everything said above, the
mutually beneficial it their functions alliance “man-woman” was established by prehistoric
people, with the roles performed by the partners being predetermined by their
physiological nature and later fixed socially. The Paleolithic and Mesolithic
women were primarily responsible for keeping the family hearth – doing
household chores, bringing up children and, last but not least, providing
inspiration to men. This information could serve a message of wisdom to those
contemporary women who wish to reconsider human values and their attitudes
towards family and career.
Appendix 1
Paleolithic Venus figurines (according to
Aleksandr Markov 2011)
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