Talk:Ancient matriarchy

Almost all claims of a matriarchy actually refer to a society that was some combination of matrilineal, matrilocal or matrifocal. People pushing an idea like this often write in a manner which makes claims appear stronger than they really are. A good example is the venus figurines. Some people have claimed that they represent proof of an ancient matriarchy. The truth is we don't know what purpose they were put to. One alternative claim is that they were an early form of porn.

Claims about the ancient matriarchy often rely on the notion that women are the givers of life. They often go on to claim that ancient human cultures did not know the connection between sexual intercourse and pregnancy and therefore men were not connected to the production of life. This was an idea propagated by 19th century European anthropologists and something more radical feminists openly buy in to today. Even a moments reflect should show how absurd it is to consider that there was ever a human society that did not understand the connection between sexual intercourse and pregnancy.

We sometimes hear the claim that the Mosuo are today matriarchal. They are in fact matrilocal and matrilineal, and perhaps also matrifocal. Mosuo society is led by men.

I'd recommend reading a wide variety of sources on this topic and drawing your own conclusions. Check alternative sources and see how well Merlin Stone's claims stack up.

This guy nearly joined the dots but fell down at the end and asserted modern society is patriarchal.