A compelling examination of gender, sexuality, and the family in ancient societies.
What was it like to be a woman in prehistoric times? Did the sexual identities and gender roles found in modern society exist hundreds of thousands of years ago? Were age and other social distinctions as important then as now? And how can we ever hope to know, when little evidence survives except for fragments of bone, pottery, and jewelry?
Rosemary Joyce draws on a wealth of recent studies that reveal the history of sexual identities to be a diverse and compelling one, offering profound challenges to modern stereotypes and assumptions. 35 illustrations.