The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image (Arkana)

The authors do not treat the Book of Genesis as a valid historical document, but in spite of that, they get five stars. Their book is very comprehensive, well-written, and full of ancient images--a goldmine of information. The authors trace the goddesses of the ancient Near-eastern and Mediterranean world to single goddess named Nammu. In my book NOAH IN ANCIENT GREEK ART, Noah in Ancient Greek Art I connect their Nammu to the last person listed in the line of Kain (Cain) in Genesis 4:22, the woman Naamah, sister of Tubal-kain. In the ancient languages of the Near-east, it's not the vowels that matter, but the consonants. Nammu is Naamah.
In NOAH IN ANCIENT GREEK ART, I show that Nammu/Naamah came through the Flood as Ham's wife. After the Flood, the ancient world turned from Noah and his God and worshiped this woman as Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Isis, Asherah, Artemis, Athena, and others, giving her credit for bringing back the way of Kain. All of these goddesses, some in different aspects, evoke the memory of the adored woman, Naamah.
Ancient gods and goddesses, with rare exception, are deifications of real people. I present abundant evidence for this in THE PARTHENON CODE The Parthenon Code: Mankind's History in Marble. In Plato's Dialogue EUTHYDEMUS, Sokrates himself refers to Zeus, Apollo, and Athena as his "lords and ancestors." Baring and Cashford miss this key point. Nevertheless, their book is a wonderful treasure of information, a product of hard work and erudition, and it belongs on every serious student's bookshelf.

Turn the book upside down.

Look at all the images.

Are they all still female?

Two Depth Psychologists provide a comprehensive, if speculative, chronological perspective of the nature of mankind's relationship with the metaphysical, through gender fidelity. Each chapter builds on premises developed by preceding chapters (so if your interested in using this as a resource for a particular time period, it is beneficial to read the preceding chapters as well.) This is less a feminist tract than an assay about non-Christian antecedents to Marian idolization and modern reconciliation with societal (past and present) currents. Though written in easily accessible language, with 688 pages of text and illustrations, the non-academic may find themselves bogged down somewhere in the middle. All illustrations are in black-and-white (if color is a consideration in your research, you may need to consult other resources for better illustrations.)

A remarkable book that every woman should read .
It will help you to understand that there was something other in human history besides conquest , war, and various forms of domination of the weak by the strong. Before the Patriarchy there was a period of 25 thousand years of much progress and development without huge wars.
I gained an understanding of what has happened to our idea of ourselves and the way it has shaped our actions.
The book is not a polemic like this review , it is a wonderfully written , considered history of the Godess archtype . It`s profusely illustrated and documented . A great bibliography is provided for further reading

Simply put, this is one of the best books out there on the Many-Named Goddess. The two authors spent over ten years researching and writing this book and it shows. The book traces the evolution of the Divine Feminine from Inanna, to Ishtar, to Isis, to Gaia, to Athena, to Aphrodite, to Cybele, to Sophia and more. Excellent resource for both experts and amateurs.

As for the blissfully ignorant reviewer who states that matriarchical cultures are feminist pseudo-history, I challenge them to find one reputable scholar/archaeologist who believes otherwise. (By 'reputable scholar/archaeologist' I mean someone who isn't going to try to convince me that God made the world in six literal days...)