Important finds at Late Bronze Age site

Cyprus Mail ^ | Friday, August 5, 2011 | Natalie Hami

[SunkenCiv]

A large building dating as far back as 1200 BC and a female goddess figurine were only some of the fascinating finds following five-week long excavations at the Late Bronze harbour city of Hala Sultan Tekke in Larnaca. Inside the 30 by 20m building were both living and working spaces containing spindle whorls and loom weights, which indicate the production of textiles, as well as a plethora of high-quality pottery imported mainly from the Mycenaean world. Jugs, bowls and jars were among the pottery uncovered... According to Fischer some of the findings were imported from Egypt... Another significant find was a haematite cylinder seal... locally produced hand-made White Slip bowls and jugs which were exported to Egypt and Greece among other nearby areas... The Late Bronze Age harbour city is one of the biggest in Cyprus at 25 hectares... There were also three occupational layers, meaning that the city was destroyed twice, however the foundations of the city go even further back... Meanwhile, archaeological excavations at the Bronze Age site of Politiko-Troullia uncovered a 40cm stone plank figure, which is female. Its highly abstract form is typical of Cypriot plank figurines, which are normally ceramic and much smaller. The deposits reach up to 4m below the modern surface, making this one of the most deeply stratified sites on the island.

[SunkenCiv]

• Rich finds at Bronze Age settlement [ Dromolaxia Vizatzia, Cyprus ] (2010)

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
This could almost be one of *those* topics (for the Catastrophism list), watch me go hog wild and do that. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[beebuster2000]

the comments on the bottom of the article are more intersting than the article !! seems people will fight about anything

[SunkenCiv]

Really? I've only noticed that people fight under certain conditions:

1. The drop of a hat
2. Events pertaining to athletes / teams / schools
3. Geography (usually someone else's)
4. computer / OS choices
5. Miscellaneous (when the reasons can't be discerned in the torrent of incoherence

Not that anything like that ever happens here on FR, of course. ;')

[Lee N. Field]

Really? I've only noticed that people fight under certain conditions:

1. The drop of a hat
2. Events pertaining to athletes / teams / schools
3. Geography (usually someone else's)
4. computer / OS choices
5. Miscellaneous (when the reasons can't be discerned in the torrent of incoherence

Where I usually hang out it's "9mm vs. .45ACP".

[TigersEye]

9mm = pea shooters! ;^)

"and the Alps if fer childern to climb." - Del Gue

[gleeaikin]

You are right about the comments. The article did not even mention directly or indirectly what the comments are fighting about. In a different vein, and perhaps also controversial, I have been reading The Blade and the Chalice about how central asian nomadic invaders conquered the relatively peaceful settlers in Central Europe in successive waves from around 4,000 to 1,000 BC. In the process they seem to have overthrown the matrilineal peoples and Goddesses, and imposed patrilineal authoritarian societies and Gods. The Mycenean period was affected by the Dorian invaders/conquerers, and it seems the Crete and Cyprus islands may have been able to hold on to the old religions (female centric) longer than the mainlands.

[SunkenCiv]

:’)

[LadyDoc]

the “goddess” myth was made up by feminists, who say there was once a heaven where women ruled until those evil men came in and ruined paradise.

The bad news is that the Linear B tablets from Pylos and Mycenae are full of information about female slaves in Mycenae (they were used to process and weave linen, and often were kidnapped from all over the Agean sea), and these tablets mention the male gods of the classic age Greek pantheon.

Pre mycenean Crete is called Minoan, and indeed the buildings dug up there have lots of women portrayed who might be goddesses, both as statues and wall paintings. but until they decipher Linear A, it is only a guess that there were goddesses and women ruled. After all, most countries with “goddesses” and “priestesses” (e.g. Mesopotamia, with Istar) didn’t have female equality either.

Even if there are great goddesses or even queens, it doesn’t mean that the average woman had any rights.

Those Central Asian invaders of the book are the Indo Europeans (think “white men” who are so hated by the PC)...

Yet before the Dorian invasions, the Ionican/Myceneans were Indo Europeans, as were the Hittites, and many think the Minoans, like the Etruscans, came from Lydia (Asia minor, now Turkey) and also spoke an Indo European language, but until the Linear A tablets are deciphered, that too is a guess.

[colorado tanker]

I am very suspicious of the theory that an ancient female-dominated society that worship the goddess was overpowered by barbarians who created the modern male-dominated state and worship of male gods. It just seems too convenient for feminist and other leftist ideologies. And I just don't see the evidence for it.

Astarte and related goddesses were worshiped all over the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, but that didn't mean those cultures weren't dominated by male rulers and they also worshiped male gods. I'm thinking of Phoenicia, Ugarit, Babylonia and, yes, Cyprus.

[gleeaikin]

By the time the societies you mention were active the change had already started or was fully in place. The goddesses had generally been reduced to consort status. The argument is based on the evidence that when excavations are made of the middle European sites from 6,000 to 4,000 BC. female figurines outnumber male about 9 to 1.

Thirty years ago I saw an article in the National Geographic about excavations in Bulgaria. The pottery that was from 5,000 BC was beautiful, colorful, creative and interesting. Pottery from 3,000 BC was well made but very dull, monochrome and uninteresting. I looked at this and said to myself, “My gosh, what happened to these people to destroy their joy of creativity.” This was long before I learned of the Goddess vs God controversy.

[colorado tanker]

If they researched my stuff the ratio would be even higher . . . .

[gleeaikin]

As mentioned in my previous answer, the societies you mention were well after this process had already begun around 4,000 BC I have not read any female archeologists who say there once was a heaven which evil men ruined. What they do say is that relations between the sexes appear to have been egalitarian and cooperative as opposed to dominant and submissive. So am I to take it you prefer a society where, if a female, you have to be dominated and be submissive. Been there, done that, got away from it, don’t plan to do it again.

As to proofs, as you point out women in Crete seemed to have an important position before the society collapsed around 1500 BC. They were protected by their ships from the major invasions. When many of the ships were probably destroyed by a Sontorini tsunami, as well as the shoreline infrastructure to build and repair them, Crete became vulnerable to invaders. In central Europe before 4,000 BC, the communities lacked fortifications, indicating a peaceful society. As more DNA studies are made we will know if burials indicate that men went to live with the woman’s family (matrilocal and possibly matrilineal) or the women went to the man’s family (patrilocal/patrilineal). I too look forward to the day that Linear A is readable

[SunkenCiv]

I love our gleeaikin, but I found that anachronistic feminist golden age claim to be repellent when Gimbutas swilled it out, and all the lesser lights before and since. OTOH, at least "The Descent of Woman" was somewhat entertaining. :') After all, who wouldn't wanna live at the beach? :')

The Scars of Evolution:
What Our Bodies Tell Us
About Human Origins
by Elaine Morgan

"The most remarkable aspect of Todaro's discovery emerged when he examined Homo Sapiens for the 'baboon marker'. It was not there... Todaro drew one firm conclusion. 'The ancestors of man did not develop in a geographical area where they would have been in contact with the baboon. I would argue that the data we are presenting imply a non-African origin of man millions of years ago.'"

[colorado tanker]

See Civ's post above.

I have never believed in the evil patriarchy theory, either, which is also pushed by feminists. It's fine with me if a society is organized as a matriarchy. It is just that most societies have been organized around the idea of the bigger and stronger man being head of the family. The farther back one goes in time the more this seems to be the case because of the importance of physical strength in protecting and providing for a family.

So far as I know no prehistoric matriarchal society has been identified. The presence of widespread worship of a female deity or deities does not establish a matriarchal society, IMHO. Also, in the neolithic societies discovered in remote areas in the 19th and 20th centuries, no matriarchies were found. A number of primitive societies are matrilineal, but not matriarchal.

Unlike the feminists, I think men and women have lived together agreeably regardless of who is in charge, especially in the West.

[colorado tanker]

Hey, man, acquatic works for me . . . .

[LadyDoc]

no female archeologist claims the great mother goddess...it is a myth of the women’s studies nincompoops.

[gleeaikin]

One of the points made in the book The Blade and the Chalice was that apparently the settlements of Old Europe had the appearance of operating on a partnership model, with full respect being given to women and their activities. When the central Asian invaders swept in the status of woman was severely reduced and the status of warriors and war was greatly enhanced. Prior to 4,000 BC Old Europe communities seemed to lack fortifications and significant amounts of war weapons.

[gleeaikin]

One of the points made in the book The Blade and the Chalice was that apparently the settlements of Old Europe had the appearance of operating on a Partnership Model, with full respect being given to women and their activities. When the central Asian invaders swept in the status of woman was severely reduced and the status of warriors and war was greatly enhanced. This is known as the Dominator Model of society. Prior to 4,000 BC Old Europe communities seemed to lack fortifications and significant amounts of war weapons. There are those who believe that anything we can do to move society back to a Partnership model will help save civilization.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks gleeaikin.

apparently the settlements of Old Europe had the appearance of operating on a partnership model

Sorry, but without documentation -- meaning, written contemporary records -- there's no conceivable way for that to be anything but anachronistic speculation.