L’alba di tutto e il matriarcato

Alessio Ciarini

Abstract:

Since the publication of Johann Jakob Bachofen’s Das Mutterrecht in 1861, the hypothesis that matriarchal societies existed in the Neolithic had a significant intellectual impact in Western societies, while remaining scientifically disputed and gradually being pushed to the margins of mainstream academic debate. It is therefore not surprising that Wengrow and Graeber’s attempt to revisit this concept, particularly in relation to the controversial theories of the Lithuanian archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, has sparked a lively debate. This study offers a critical analysis of that debate, examining the main positions that have emerged and highlighting the limitations of the two authors’ theoretical approach. In doing so, it shows that a concept dating back nearly two centuries has remained, in spite of its contentiousness, highly relevant within historical and archaeological academic discourse.