27th December 2005, 05:08 AM
Barnsey wrote:
Thank you for that. I wasn't aware that I was assuming a parallel society structure. In fact, I believe the Iron Age Britons were a matriarchal society, based on the priciple that it was easy to prove who was the mother of a child, but not the father. Seeing as how the women were free to 'mate' with the strongest males in their society, I would assume this would be a major sticking point when it came to inheritance were it a male domintated society....
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John makes a sound point about not impressing our own beliefs on the past, them falls into the trap of assuming a parrallel society structure to the present - matriarchal anyone? after all, who wants to do the risky business of fighting when you can send of the expendable warriors to do it for you....
Thank you for that. I wasn't aware that I was assuming a parallel society structure. In fact, I believe the Iron Age Britons were a matriarchal society, based on the priciple that it was easy to prove who was the mother of a child, but not the father. Seeing as how the women were free to 'mate' with the strongest males in their society, I would assume this would be a major sticking point when it came to inheritance were it a male domintated society....