Publication Date
October 2003
Abstract
A radical school of modern feminism exists which believes in the existence of a time in prehistory, before the male take-over, when society was universally matriarchal, and women enjoyed a more central role in society than men. The idea of an ancient matriarchy first gained ground in the 19th century amongst evolutionary theorists, such as Engels. He linked the oppression of women to the rise of the state, which he said had resulted in the separation of private and public domains, the activities of women being relegated to the private service of their husbands (Leacock, 1978, p. 255; Siverblatt, 1991, pp. 141, 144-146). Another theory is that matriarchal society was swept aside during the Neolithic by patriarchal, hierarchical invaders from northern Europe (Stone, 1976, p. 20; Tringham, 1991, pp. 96-97; Grindell, 1993, pp. 124-125). Supporters of the matriarchal thesis maintain that mathematics, counting and calculation were originally female preserves that were linked to fertility through the menstrual cycle and the motions of the moon. They argue that math is derived from the Sanskrit matra or the Greek meter, both of which mean mother and measurement. Therefore, mathematics literally means mother wisdom, and ancient peoples regarded it as one of the particular gifts of the mother-goddess to her daughters (Walker, 1983, pp. 684-5). The paper seeks to explore this claim, that in the beginning counting and calculation were the preserves of women.
Recommended Citation
Oldroyd, David
(2003)
"Feminine context of prehistoric notation systems,"
Accounting Historians Notebook: Vol. 26:
No.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aah_notebook/vol26/iss2/5