On Thu, 8 Jun 2000 13:48:36 MDT Dori Zook <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Hello, listers. > > Maybe I'm setting myself up for a fall, but I've thought of asking > this question before. What went on between the sexes way back when? Ardeith writes: We'll never really know......until someone invents a time machine.........social values don't fossilize very well...... but fossilized human bones have been found that show signs of serious injury....and healing.....and the person living on beyond the injury......which seems to indicate a degree of care-taking while the injured person recovered.... Wolves will bring food to an injured pack-mate, and it seems that early humans would too............... Dori wrote: > The Great Maha Rushdi (aka Rush Limbaugh) just mentioned how women > stayed at home while men worked for "thousands of years." But did they > really? Ardeith writes: Of course not.........but men like the Limburger have always de-valued the work women did that provided the support structure that allowed the men to go out in the world and do greater and lesser things...............studies in existing HG cultures in the 1900's indicated that much if not most of the food was gathered by men, women, children and the old folks.......the men usually did the hunting of large game animals ......not that women couldn't.....but the women were usually tied down by kids to take care of ......can't go off chasing a mastodon when you are nursing one baby and have a four year old child to take care of too..........besides, sending the men and older boys off on a hunt got them out of the women's hair for a while............ Dori wrote: I have not, > however, heard much about the roles of men and women in prehistoric > time.Were they separate but equal? Men dominant and women submissive? > Or all just in it together? Ardeith wrote: We can't really know........it's been a while since I took anthropology in college, but I seem to remember that most of the HG cultures were more egalitarian than the later farmer cultures......as for women being submissive......I doubt our early female ancestors were all that submissive.......look at the Bonobo chimps......no submissive females there! The other apes were usually organized in family groups around the females......with a mature male or two for breeding and protection, and immature males hanging around until the old man ran them off...... [log in to unmask] Walk The Path With Practical Feet! ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.