Theoretical development of matriarchy in the 19th century and early Amazonian myth studies

The Amazonian universe encompasses innumerable themes (gender, mythology, archaeology, social relations, the vision of the “Other”, war, autochthony, etc.). In short, an exclusively female society, or one where women control all areas, is considered a matriarchy (regardless of concepts such as matrilineality, matrilocality or both). It has filled pages, not only in antiquity, and has remained in the human mind for millennia. The emergence of matriarchal theories in the 19th century served to revive a dormant but never forgotten discussion of gender that greatly influenced early contemporary analyses of one of the best-known Greek myths. Many of the postulates that emerged then, such as matriarchy or the existence of a primordial Great Mother Goddess, now superseded, are still defended by various authors to support the supposed real existence of a society with these characteristics that deserve critical analysis.

Collection: Texts

Project: 8. Women and the change for gender equality in Europe.

Chronology: -

Scope: Secondary Education

Link: http://www.man.es/man/dam/jcr:c5cd5df3-5866-49a7-b0a7-3186016d77a4/2018-bolman-37-13-sanchez.pdf

Resource type: pdf

Format: Texts

Owner: Arqueological National Museum of Spain (MAN) (Modernalia)

Abstract: The Amazonian universe encompasses innumerable themes (gender, mythology, archaeology, social relations, the vision of the "Other", war, autochthony, etc.). In short, an exclusively female society, or one where women control all areas, is considered a matriarchy (regardless of concepts such as matrilineality, matrilocality or both). It has filled pages, not only in antiquity, and has remained in the human mind for millennia. The emergence of matriarchal theories in the 19th century served to revive a dormant but never forgotten discussion of gender that greatly influenced early contemporary analyses of one of the best-known Greek myths. Many of the postulates that emerged then, such as matriarchy or the existence of a primordial Great Mother Goddess, now superseded, are still defended by various authors to support the supposed real existence of a society with these characteristics that deserve critical analysis.