Presenting

and the Dawning of a New Era (2005). Before 4,000 B.C. in "Saharasia" (the Middle East and Central Asia), Taylor suggests the people who inhabited the area were easily supported by the land. As hunter-gatherers and horticultural societies, the people spent only a small portion of their time actually working. ey were, by and large, leisurely people who did not brutalize their neighbors, abuse or oppress women and children, or enslave others. When conflicts arose, they were resolved by committee, with both men and women participating in the governance of the tribe or band. Rise of Man e escalation of male dominance transformed many societies from peaceful and egalitarian organizations to a hierarchic and violent order ruled by brutality and greed. While there are disagreements among archeologists as to the extent of partnership societies across the globe in ancient times, scholars agree around 4,000 years ago there was a significant move towards cultural stratification. Feminine symbolism and a solid ideological emphasis on settlement and safety was replaced by warlike, individualistic, wild and masculine dogma. e settlements disappeared, gravesites became individualized with artifacts of weaponry, "the Goddess" was eventually eradicated and the status of women radically weakened. is period marks the beginning of history that is taught in high schools around the country, which could more aptly be identified as "his story." While some archeologists first theorized that the discovery of metals resulted in a dramatic cultural shift toward war and weaponry, it is now proven that metals were widely used in ancient societies for ornamentation and tools. It was the change in the use of metals as weapons that made such a profound difference. Gimbutas suggests Kurgan invaders from the Ukrainian steppe used their primitive weaponry to conquer and brutalize the peaceful Old European cultures. In addition, the invaders' domestication of horses precipitated the relatively quick spread of domination and patriarchy across Europe. A contrasting theory by Taylor suggests that masculine domination was predicated by the rise of socially stratified hierarchical politics within European cultures, institutionalized violence and the individualized ego associated with a period of climatic stress. As the lush grasslands and forests of Saharasia turned into dry, barren desert, harmonious abundance morphed into scarcity and fear, leading the people to spread out across Asia, Europe and North Africa in search of sustenance. e collective nature of the tribe disappeared as individuals struggled to survive, leading to the rise of the ego and warrior invasions. Peace was replaced by endless warring, suppression (especially of women and children) and dogmatic religion. e Old Europeans were no match for their invaders. e sedentary horticulturalists with unfortified townships were systematically decimated by the Kurgan 48 | GRAVITAS MAGAZINE GravitasMag.com

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