Steve Taylor, Ph.D, via Waking Times:
Is a matriarchal society the solution to our problems?
I’ve just returned from Crete, where I visited the ancient palace of Knossos, and the archaeological museum in Heraklion, where thousands of the artifacts and artworks of ancient Crete are displayed.
The most striking thing about the culture of ancient Crete (or Minoan culture, as it is often called) is how prominent women are. They are everywhere in Minoan artwork, on pottery, frescoes and figurines (small stone statues). They are shown as priestesses, goddesses, dancing and talking at social occasions, in beautiful dresses with their breasts on show. There is a striking fresco of a beautifully dressed woman surrounded by a group of half-naked dancing men.
It is clear that – as many archaeologists have agreed – this was a society in which women had very high status; at least as high as men.
Some archaeologists believe that the Minoans worshiped a goddess, and that women were the main religious leaders. Women certainly weren’t oppressed – they obviously took a full and active role in every aspect of life. As a result, some archaeologists have characterized ancient Crete as a matriarchal culture.
What is also striking about the artwork and decorations are the beautiful natural images everywhere – colorful and vibrant images of flowers, birds, fish and other animals, together with beautiful symbols and patterns. These seemed to fill every piece of pottery and every wall space, expressing a deep connection to nature and a sense of its sacredness. The whole culture seemed to have an atmosphere of joy and lightness, a lack of oppression and fear.
In contrast to later cultures like Greece or Rome, the Minoans seem to have had little interest in war.
There are no images of warfare or weapons, and a lack of actual weapons. In fact, many archaeologists believe that ancient Crete was a peaceful, egalitarian society, which avoided any significant damage through warfare for hundreds of years. This lasted until about 1500 BC, when Crete was invaded by warriors from mainland Greece, and its culture began a slow decline – which is painfully obvious from the shift in artwork, away from images of nature to images of warfare and anthropomorphic gods.
Perhaps, you might think, it’s not coincidental that ancient Crete was apparently a peaceful, nature-worshiping culture, since women were in positions of power. You could see this as a good model for our societies: if more women were in high status positions, there would be less conflict and competition, and more empathy and equality.
But this is probably rather simplistic. In fact, women who take on high status roles in our societies tend to take on typically ‘masculine’ characteristics of competitiveness and emotional hardness. They often don’t behave with the empathy which we often associate with the ‘feminine.’ Perhaps this isn’t their fault – if you want to succeed in a competitive society, then you obviously have to be competitive yourself.
The “Over-Developed Ego”
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