Women in Ancient America

This first comprehensive work on women in precolumbian American cultures describes gender roles and relationships in North, Central, and South America from 12, 000 B.C. to the 1500s B.C. Utilizing many key archaeological works, Karen Olsen Bruhns and Karen E. Stothert redress some of the long-standing male bias in writing about ancient Native American lifeways. Bruhns and Stothert focus on several of the most thought-provoking areas of study in the Americas: the origins of agriculture, the development of complex societies, the evolution of religious systems, and the interpretation of art and mortuary materials. The authors pay particular attention to the problems of interpreting archaeological remains and the uses of historic and ethnographic evidence in reconstructing the past. Using synthesis and short case studies, Bruhns and Stothert provide a history of women in the precolumbian Americas that values women`s perspectives, activities, roles, and contributions. At the same time, they offer considerable evidence of men`s roles, demonstrating that the roles of both men and women are intertwined in any society. This innovative book will appeal to students, scholars, and general readers interested in archaeology, the Americas, and womens studies. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.