Classics AIA Lecture - Cveček

The New Orleans Chapter of The Archaeological Institute of America and The Department of Classical Studies at Tulane University present “Matrilineal Kinship in Aegean Prehistory: Settlements, Figurines, and the Absence of Men” by Sabina Cveček (Field Museum of Natural History & Austrian Academy of Sciences).

Date ~ Thursday, March 5, 2026

Time ~ 5:30pm

Location ~ Jones 108

Were communities in prehistoric Greece matriarchal, matrilineal, or simply centered around women? This question has fascinated archaeologists for decades. Early on, figurines of women were often seen as “Mother Goddesses,” meaning female deities often representing motherhood, fertility, and creation, but feminist scholars later cautioned against such broad interpretations. Still, the idea that ancient societies may have been organized around maternal kinship and matrilineal descent—where family ties pass through the mother—has resurfaced in recent years. In this talk, Sabina Cveček revisits the debate, exploring what different types of evidence—from how settlements were laid out to how figurines were used—can tell us about gender and family life in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Aegean. She draws on ethnographic examples to show that matrilineal kinship does not automatically mean women ruled, a key distinction for better understanding how these early societies were structured.

This in-person, non-ticketed lecture is free and open to the general public.  There will be no zoom component.  Tulane University is committed to providing universal access to all our events on site. Please contact Elizabeth M Reyna at 504-865-5719 / ereyna@tulane.edu at least two weeks in advance of the event if you have accessibility needs and need a disability-related accommodation to participate. Please note that advance notice is necessary to arrange some accessibility needs.