The Paleolithic Artist

Ancient handprints from a Borneo cave

"An archaeologist’s analysis of ancient handprints could overturn decades of male bias regarding the origin of cave paintings.

Prehistoric hand stencils have been found with cave paintings across the world, but, because the art mainly features game animals such as bison and mammoths, the weight of scholarly opinion is that they were made by male hunters as a record of their kills.

However, Dean Snow of Pennsylvania State University studied hundreds of hand stencils in 8 cave art sites in France and Spain and, based on their finger length, determined that three-quarters of them were made by women."

- Sandra Rimmer via an October 9th, 2013 article found here

No, Trans-D is not becoming a news site... but, I couldn't resist posting this tidbit!

See also: The Daily Mail article , the National Geographic article, or this, from Phys.org.

:-)

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Photo of Moche pottery found here

"This find makes it clear that women didn't just run rituals in this area but governed here and were queens of Mochica society," project director Luis Jaime Castillo told AFP. "It is the eighth priestess to be discovered. Our excavations have only turned up tombs with women, never men."

...And, while I'm at it, for new tidbits illuminating a slightly more "contemporary" time in ancient herstory, see these articles about the recent archaeological discoveries regarding the Moche civilization, and the Lady of Cao: Tomb find confirms women ruled ancient Peru and Girl power in ancient Peru confirmed.