An interesting division of labor and cooperation between men and women in Old European society
During the early stages of cultural history, there was a division of labor between men and women. Tasks were divided based on skills and circumstances. Breast-feeding mothers were responsible for babies and small children, so they did not go hunting as the men did. Contemporary research has shown that unmarried and free women did indeed hunt. In addition to hunting, women and men prepared e.g. stone tools together. The men prepared rough tools while the women focused on more intricate ones (such as needles or cutting tools).
Hunters had a shamanistic worldview, and both male and female shamans existed in Eurasia's broad cultural landscape. Some rituals were jointly performed by male and female shamans. The cultural tradition of the Ingrian Finns offers a good example of such a ritual: Two shamans conducted the burial rituals, and each had different tasks. The male shaman was responsible for ensuring that the deceased was sent off to eternal rest with due honors. The female shaman sang lamentations and comforted the next of kin.
As the hunters adopted the skill of land cultivation and an agrarian way of life, the division of labor and the cooperation between women and men continued. Some fields such as ship-building or metal casting were predominantly male, while others such as ceramics, involved collaboration. Archaeological findings have revealed an altogether unique form of cooperation in pottery. It was the mens' task to locate important sources of clay and bring the raw material to the workshop. There they prepared an appropriate mixture; clay that was too thick was lightened by adding a powder made from spondylus shell. The men shaped the crude forms of the pots. After this, the women joined in and saw to the glazing. The women also inscribed the pots with ornamental decorations and writing. The inscriptions often asked the Goddess to favor her devotees.
Both men and women were traders. Some researchers believe that women were perhaps solely responsible for river trade along the Danube and its tributaries. How did predominantly women-led trade work? We can look at contemporary Southeast Asia for answers, where trade along the Mekong river is entirely in the hands of women, and thus provides an example of women-led trade.
After the golden era of Old Europe, the cooperation between men and women was subjected to pressure caused by social hierarchies and power struggles. Women's liberties in many areas were gradually restricted or completely removed. In modern Western democratic states, women have regained opportunities to cooperate with men as they once did in Old Europe. However, today's opportunities are still strained by a long history of women's oppression. The question remains as to whether things commonly related to masculinity are still considered more valuable than those related to femininity. How could research on Old Europe help to dismantle this value hierarchy which, as pointed out by feminist philosophers, is unbeneficial to women and femininity and thus restricts the possibilities of cooperation?
Written text on the bottom of a pot (Tisza culture, Old Europe; circa 4700–4500 BCE).
Harald Haarmann and Virpi Lehtinen
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