Did A Matriarchal Form of Social Organization Exist at Çatalhöyük?

Heide Goettner-Abendroth (Germany)

Abstract

An old problem has recently been taken up anew and has come under discussion by archaeologists: Was the social order at Çatalhüyük matriarchal or not? At Çatalhüyük, what did it really mean to be born as a woman, or as a man?  The author critiques Ian Hodder’s article in the January 2004 issue of Scientific American and rejects the common idea that matriarchy means “women’s rule.”  She emphasizes that while patriarchal societies are ruled by men, matriarchal societies are not a simple reversal of this scenario. In matriarchies women are at the center of culture without ruling over other members of society. The aim is not to have power over others and over nature, but to nurture social and cultural life based on mutual respect.  The article concludes with a description of the economic, social, political and cultural criteria of matriarchal societies.