(October 20, 2021 at 9:09 am)Jehanne Wrote: Religion in the ancient World was about control, and controlling who had (and did not have) access to fertile females was naturally coopted by those in power who used religious authorities to maintain that power and access to that limited and valuable resource.
Yes. And this was pretty much a worldwide thing in every religion to greater or lesser degrees depending on era or country. Back then in all of antiquity the mortality rate was very high, especially for those not in the ruling class. So it was much more incumbent for everyone to tow the tribal line in order to survive. And on top of that females, women were considered the property of the male head of the household.
In most of the world back then, even you were a female in the ruling class, the inheritance always went to the first born male in line. Property rights by females was very rare in most places.
The ancient world was a vast majority patriarchal and that is why most religions have male head God/s and male holy people as to which at best female holy people are second class.