It is a subject at the heart of public debate that carries many misconceptions: the origins of patriarchy. When did the first signs of male domination emerge? To shed light on this thorny issue, we need the work of researchers, including archaeologists working on prehistoric societies.
Archaeologist Anne Augereau sought to determine if “among prehistoric hunter-gatherers, there were traces of male domination” and if the Neolithic period “is when we see the rise of patriarchy and male domination.” In her research, to learn more about “gendered division of labor, which is an important element of male domination,” the researcher is interested in traces such as “bone deformities in human skeletons” indicative of activities practiced by people of that time.
Anne Augereau specifies that these bone modifications reveal early asymmetries: for men, there is “a bone modification on one arm (…) which would attest to weapon handling” while for women “have different types of bone deformities” such as “deformities on both arms” which are a sign of “bimanual activities.” Patriarchy, in this interpretation, is not limited to the division of labor, but “it is an important aspect” as it constitutes a structuring mechanism.
The investigation covers the period from approximately 300,000 to 2,200 years before the present. Anne Augereau’s observations allow her to say that “over this fairly long time” we see the emergence “gradually” of male domination. The researcher therefore hypothesizes a perceptible presence around 300,000 years, while acknowledging that for the beginning of prehistory “we have more vague information.” The emerging narrative is one of a gradual process rather than a single social revolution.
In the earlier period that Anne Augereau did not study, certainties fade. She asserts that to truly claim that male domination has always existed, more data would be needed to truly answer this question. Nevertheless, sexual dimorphism is present since the australopithecines and is accompanied by slight but “recurrent” dietary differences.
