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The invisible sex : uncovering the true roles of women in prehistory
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The invisible sex : uncovering the true roles of women in prehistory

by J. Adovasio, Olga Soffer, Jake Page

This study examines the central role of women in prehistoric societies, focusing on their contributions to technology, language, and social development. It uses archaeological evidence from perishable artefacts to challenge traditional male-centred views of human evolution.

Accession 2861 ISBN 9780061170911 Publisher Smithsonian Institution
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TAGS
Curated Derived
Animals Archaeology Art Family and Society History Human Evolution Humanity Invention Prehistoric Peoples Science
CONNECTIONS
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State
on_shelf
True
position_updated_at
2026-06-10 09:06
orientation
vertical
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Physical

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Hard Back
dimensions
229.00 (H) × 152.00 (W) × 27.00 (T) mm
spine_text
none captured

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Book form
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Identity

name→ title
The invisible sex : uncovering the true roles of women in prehistory
vernon_id
6681
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2861
vernon_slug
the-invisible-sex-uncovering-the-true-roles-of-women-in-prehistory-j-m-adovasio-olga-soffer-jake-page

Drives Pulse state

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isbn_issn→ isbn (when valid)
9780061170911

Descriptive

production_date
2007
object_type
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object_status
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brief_description
Shaped by cartoons and museum dioramas, our vision of Paleolithic times tends to feature fur-clad male hunters fearlessly attacking mammoths while timid women hover fearfully behind a boulder. In fact, recent research has shown that this vision bears little relation to reality. The field of archaeology has changed dramatically in the past two decades, as women have challenged their male colleagues' exclusive focus on hard artifacts such as spear points rather than tougher to find evidence of women's work. J. M. Adovasio and Olga Soffer are two of the world's leading experts on perishable artifacts such as basketry, cordage, and weaving. In The Invisible Sex, the authors present an exciting new look at prehistory, arguing that women invented all kinds of critical materials, including the clothing necessary for life in colder climates, the ropes used to make rafts that enabled long-distance travel by water, and nets used for communal hunting. Even more important, women played a central role in the development of language and social life?in short, in our becoming human. In this eye-opening book, a new story about women in prehistory emerges with provocative implications for our assumptions about gender today. From the Inside Flap.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
J. Adovasio, Olga Soffer, Jake Page
tags→ tags
History, Archaeology, Vertebrates, Chordata, Animals, Women, Human beings, Hominids, Primates, Mammals, Prehistoric peoples, Art, Prehistoric
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Cover image

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Topics and Themes