Some errors of sex attribution occur in archeology, but not in this case. We are talking about a mass phenomenon.
Yes, including this. There's a lot of that.
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Some errors of sex attribution occur in archeology, but not in this case. We are talking about a mass phenomenon.
Also from the ancient authors is known about Sparta (a typical Indo-European military democracy) and Spartan women who were trained in sports, military skill, music and culture on a par with boys. And they were freed from domestic affairs, which were performed for them by slaves. Sometimes they went on hikes, they could also suppress the helot revolts.
Also Spartan women were the only Greek women to participate in the Olympic Games.
This suggests that the status of women in Europe was still relatively high, when compared with other societies. (in absolute terms, this was already low)
Also after this, some of the greatest rulers of Europe such as Queen Victoria and Catherine the Great were still possible. What is difficult to imagine in many other societies of those times.
I asked to refrain from intuition. Ancient authors assert the opposite things. Sometimes even accusing Lycurgus and his law, call it "matriarchy." Spartan women even had the right to inherit the land, did not do household activities. According to Aristotle, women owned 2/5 of the state land.Women had freedoms and were trained to be physically and mentally fit mainly to give many healthy and able children to become good warriors and sustain the inherently unstable nature of the Spartan society, in which a tiny minority had the monopoly of power over an increasing popultion of subjected helots. There aren't evidences that those were independent and emancipated women. They had certainly much more freedom to act, to move and to expose themselves than women in other - equally Indo-European - neighboring societies, but they were far from liberated women in positions of equal status. Rather, they were to be "productive and strong child-makers".
Granted, but certainly not that difficult to imagine in the ancient history of Egypt, Semitic societies in the Levant and even Arabia (Khadija, Muhammad's first wife and counsellor, was clearly an independent businesswoman and trader), or in many Native American societies, and certainly not that difficult to imagine, too, in non-Indo-European Europe if the apparent depictions of women's status in Minoan culture are really truthful. That is not to say that they were very free and stuff, no, but I'm not sure the existence of women warriors among some Indo-Europeans demonstrates that Neolithic Near Easterners were substantially more patriarchal than Indo-Europeans.
This is not "intuition". This is the opinion of modern, critical historiography, trying to keep things objective and scientific, and based on a much wider set of evidences and sources, something that almost all ancient authors lacked as they wrote from their partial and personal points of view, and also often according to some personal or political agenda under the constraints of their societies' relations with other peoples. Ancient authors are very important, but not only was Sparta's system a sometimes shockingly different political and social regime in Greece, those authors often tended to exaggerate things a lot. I'll always take them with (many) grains of salt.I asked to refrain from intuition. Ancient authors assert the opposite things.
I could've mentioned Zenobia of Palmyrene Empire, a Semitic kingdom under a powerful supreme ruler,, or even the mythical and probably South Arabian Queen of Sheba. But of course that wouldn't be useful to your manichaean depiction of freedom in IE societies versus oppressive Near Eastern societies regardless of specific circumstances and historic period (not even considering that the IE and Semitic expansions in the Bronze Age completely changed the ethnic and cultural makeup of that region compared to Neolithic times, when it was really dominated by farmer cultures)That is, as the analog of Catherine and Victoria, women supreme rulers of large countries, you point to usual wife of the future polygamous man in society with "harems".
Such metodology can prove any thesis.
If you read modern authors who studied Spartan and ancient societies, such as Y.V. Andreev, then you would know that they refer almost exclusively to ancient authors. We simply do not have other knowledge. Societies not described by ancient authors are absolutely unknown. While the Sparta were studied is pretty good, the benefit was in enriching written civilization. I suggest you still read the material, and not act by intuition. Then you will know that Spartan women owned about 40% of the economy of Sparta (land). It's as if modern women were in 40% of the Forbes list. They were much more economically emancipated and freer than modern women.This is not "intuition". This is the opinion of modern, critical historiography, trying to keep things objective and scientific, and based on a much wider set of evidences and sources, something that almost all ancient authors lacked as they wrote from their partial and personal points of view, and also often according to some personal or political agenda under the constraints of their societies' relations with other peoples. Ancient authors are very important, but not only was Sparta's system a sometimes shockingly different political and social regime in Greece, those authors often tended to exaggerate things a lot. I'll always take them with (many) grains of salt.
There aren't evidences that those were independent and emancipated women. They had certainly much more freedom to act, to move and to expose themselves than women in other - equally Indo-European - neighboring societies, but they were far from liberated women in positions of equal status.
The mythical queen is certainly an analogue of Queen Victoria of modern times. As and Muhamed's wifes.I could've mentioned Zenobia of Palmyrene Empire, a Semitic kingdom under a powerful supreme ruler,, or even the mythical and probably South Arabian Queen of Sheba. But of course that wouldn't be useful to your manichaean depiction of freedom in IE societies versus oppressive Near Eastern societies regardless of specific circumstances and historic period (not even considering that the IE and Semitic expansions in the Bronze Age completely changed the ethnic and cultural makeup of that region compared to Neolithic times, when it was really dominated by farmer cultures)
I think the inbreeding problem happens in first few generations. Later the bad genetic combinations are weeded away and all gets back to normal. After all the healthiest and long living populations come from small secluded communities like islands or mountainous areas. Likewise, Amazon jungle tribes have inbred for thousands of years and yet exist till today fine. It doesn't look like they are dying off and need "fresh" blood.I think this is an excellent post also. Imagine a group of people with declining population (from interbreeding), coming across another group, who had women that were exotic, compared to their own. Of course they would think they were prized possessions and offer techniques and knowledge and/or peace in exchange.
A HIGH-RESOLUTION TIME TRANSECT THROUGH THE LECH VALLEY, BAVARIA: POPULATIONS –
FAMILIES – INDIVIDUALS
Author(s): Mittnik, Alissa (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University
of Tübingen) - Knipper, Corina (Curt-Engelhorn-Centre Archaeometry gGmbH, Mannheim) - Massy, Ken (LMU Munich) - Stockhammer,
Philipp W. (LMU Munich; Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena) - Krause, Johannes (Max Planck Institute for the
Science of Human History, Jena; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen)
Presentation Format: Oral
While palaeogenomic research used to be contingent on the discovery of the rare sample with exceptional DNA preservation, targeted
enrichment and subsequent high-throughput sequencing of selected informative genetic markers has made possible the cost- and time-effective analysis and comparison of large numbers of ancient samples. As a result, high-resolution studies on a microregional
level that address social dynamics and local and individual variations in ancestry and mobility become a feasible pursuit. Here, we present the genomic analysis of over 120 individuals from the Lech valley in southern Bavaria, Germany, which offers ideal conditions for such a study. Several burial sites containing rich archaeological material were directly dated to the second half of the 3rd and first half of the 2nd millennium BCE and associated with the Final Neolithic Bell Beaker Complex and the Early and Middle Bronze Age.
Utilising relatedness inference methods developed for low-coverage modern DNA we are able to reconstruct multigenerational pedigrees that likely represent core families within the communities that buried their dead at each cemetery. Joint analysis with several hundred published ancient genomes allows us to estimate proportions of distinct ancestries in each individual to evaluate sex biased migration and admixture. Within an interdisciplinary framework, comprehensive archaeological assessment and stable isotope analyses were an integral part of this project. Thus, we gain additional insights into distribution of wealth and individual mobility, providing us with a more holistic view of the social structure of these prehistoric societies and the modes of cultural transition.
The autosomal findings are quite interesting, from 70% steppe among CWC, drowning to 50% with BB, drowning more and more till Late Bronze with 20% steppe; I can't understand how, a permenent flux of southerners or westerners? a long-standing apartheid between local pops?
For Y-DNA some 85% R1b being the remainder G and I, it's a good starting point to know what would be the first Celtic speakers as the area is in the core of the Hallstatt culture. About the R1b BB all were coming from abroad as the molar isotopes are not local, half of the BB women also came from afar.
And how was this process? take into account that from 70% steppe in 3000 BC the percent drwons to 20% by 1000 BC, which "local" reservoir is that?
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