| dc.description.abstract | This article raises the issue of the role and social position of women in prehistory. In the interpretation of past social relation, archaeology using the achievements of other fields of science such as cultural anthropology, ethnography and sociology concludes only general conclusions. In such a society are visible seen clearly defined social positions, and women is the guardian of the hearth and home. It could be possible that women in pre historic societies occupied unspecialized activities under the kin-neighbourly system. The social role of every individual depended of the roles taken from kinship system. It means, that situation of family member influenced on its activity and its social position, thus it could be possible to distinguish typical male and female social roles. The question is that the woman in area of social activity could not perform professional work. If we want to answer to this question, we should analysed two economics activities which were commonly attributed to women’s activities – textiles and pottery. The discoveries of the remains of the Polish lands weaving workshops in selected home steads were the basis to put forward the hypothesis of specialization in this branch of production. The findings of such remains outside the houses were the proof that this action was treated as the occasional production, which the woman should carry, besides working in the fields. Meanwhile, some of the presentations from the ancient Greece and Rome clearly indicate the important role of women’s economic dealing with weaving. It is very probably that a similar situation could occur in the Polish lands because of discovering in some grave furnishings spools of clay, which are elements of a particularly difficult technique of table making. The indirect proof of the important role of the weavers is few iconographic presentation of the close proximity of the Polish lands. The weaving and spinning had also a symbolic pronunciation, inextricably linked with human destiny – the spindle in the ancient world was a symbol of femininity, diligence, honesty and abilities of conducts of houses. Manufacturing of pottery in Polish lands is revealed much better. Ethnographic data and experience of experimental archeology show that to this production were needed as well skills, experience and time. Regarding the significant need of new vessels it is obvious that they were produced almost continuously. Person dealing with this branch of the industry was involved in it as far, that it was for it the main source of livelihood. Women besides of vessels used in the household made many special containers of ritual destination. Many of them were ornamented with mixing of solar symbols, identified with the masculine root and lunar (lunar-astral) identified with the female root, these symbols repeatedly penetrate and combine with each other in one formula associated with the world of beliefs. The female symbols played a huge role in this system. It could not be excluded that the women producing vessels, on which very often symbols associated with the female deity were placed, could have a different social position than the other members of the community. On the one hand they had an access to sacred signs and symbols, on the other they were themselves the subject of these characters. It is also important their participation in the organization of social communication – contained in ornamental systems, which had clear and readable content for the community. The interpretation of only these two categories of archaeological date allow decode and approximate the world of prehistoric woman – wife, mother, housekeeper, but also the unique person who was the insider of the world of prehistoric symbols. | en_US |
