Revisioning Ourselves

Re-examining western cultural history is imperative to revisioning ourselves today. For instance, new archeological techniques are challenging long held beliefs about biological gender roles in ancient cultures.

Recently, an Andean 9,000-year-old large-game warrior burial was excavated and found to be a woman. Hence, 107 other ‘male’ burials were re-examined and of those considered to be warriors, 40% were women. Our cultural stereotype of ancient cultures in which men hunted, and women gathered is being dismantled by such findings. Roles appear to be much more fluid than originally recorded.  

In fact, in Sweden in 2017, DNA testing demonstrated that the Viking remains from an extravagant and grand warrior burial site was a woman. Sceptical of such data, mainly due to enculturated beliefs, the DNA testing had to be redone in 2019. Through revisionist history we witness the tenets of authoritarian cultures being challenged. Women were warriors, leaders and hunters in ancient cultures. As Annalee Newitz states, “There was inequality, but it wasn’t absolute, and there were a lot of shifts over time.”