The Disappearing of the Goddess and Gimbutas: A Critical Review of The Goddess and the Bull

Marguerite Rigoglioso (USA)

Abstract

The title of Michael Balter’s book, The Goddess and the Bull. Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization (2005),immediately attracts people interested in Neolithic beliefs. One assumes from the strategic word “goddess” in the title, and the book’s cover—featuring the famous image of the corpulent seated woman flanked by two leopards found at Çatalhöyük—that the volume is a celebration of the ancient female-centered religion that numerous scholars believe was at the heart of ancient Anatolian culture. Instead, The Goddess and the Bull is another example of literature that serves to “disappear” the goddess as simply an archaeological/historical construct.

Balter’s book is well written and well researched and the author has done a good job of sifting and sorting through what must have been a cubic ton of material to create a compelling story. Goddess scholars will wish, however, that he had given fair and equal coverage to theories framed by James Mellaart, Marija Gimbutas and others who see evidence for the existence and centrality of female deities in ancient religious systems. This is a highly regrettable aspect of a book that is otherwise an interesting and intelligent portrayal of some of the major trends and personalities that have shaped the field of archaeology, and the theoretical controversies regarding the excavations at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey.

This article is followed by responses from Michael Balter and Ian Hodder.