---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In 1861, Bachofen published his radical…"
description: "\"In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the Amazons were not a myth but a fact. In his view, humanity started out under the rule of womanki..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg"
---

#  In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the…

![“In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the Amazons were not a myth but a fact. In his view, humanity started out under the rule of womankind and only switched to patriarchy at the dawn of civilization.” quote by Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg)

> “In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the Amazons were not a myth but a fact. In his view, humanity started out under the rule of womankind and only switched to patriarchy at the dawn of civilization.”

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that early human societies were matriarchal and later shifted to patriarchy, challenging traditional narratives about gender roles.

**In simple terms:** Early societies may have been ruled by women before patriarchy emerged.

Key Takeaway

Consider how historical narratives shape gender assumptions.

Themes

gender history power myth societal structures

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

analytical historical

When to use this quote

- academic research
- gender studies
- cultural analysis
- education
- policy making

Key Concepts

matriarchy patriarchy cultural narratives historical revisionism

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports or refutes early matriarchal societies?
- How do modern biases affect our view of ancient gender roles?

A Different Perspective

Historical evidence is limited and interpretations vary widely.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Patriarchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patriarchy/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/)

## Related quotes

> [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“. . . women internalize the feminine wound or feminine inferiority so deeply, there's little or no female authority and esteem to fall back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/women-internalize-the-feminine-wound-or-feminine-inferiority-so/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [Especially on television, it's not so much a patriarchy; it always seems that there's a smart, strong woman calling the shots, and her doofus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-weber/especially-on-television-it-s-not-so-much-a-patriarchy-it-always/)

Jake Weber

> [You don't overturn x-thousand years of patriarchy in a generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/you-don-t-overturn-x-thousand-years-of-patriarchy-in-a-generation/)

[Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/)

> [“All men should be feminists. If men care about women’s rights the world will be a better place. We are better off when women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/all-men-should-be-feminists-if-men-care-about-women-s-rights-the/)

[John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/)

> [“Psychologists cannot fix the world so they fix women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/psychologists-cannot-fix-the-world-so-they-fix-women/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“Shouting about gender equality once a year doesn't end the patriarchal and misogynistic stereotypes. We must live every day as women's day, only then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/shouting-about-gender-equality-once-a-year-doesn-t-end-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“While we avoid taking credit for success, women leap at the opportunity to take responsibility for failure. Men tend to externalize the reasons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colette-dowling/while-we-avoid-taking-credit-for-success-women-leap-at-the/)

[Colette Dowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colette-dowling/)

> [The woman who takes a woman lover lives dangerously in patriarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-clarke/the-woman-who-takes-a-woman-lover-lives-dangerously-in-patriarchy/)

Cheryl Clarke

> [“Laudy laud! is my new phrase for the hero worship that butters the human bread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-robinson/laudy-laud-is-my-new-phrase-for-the-hero-worship-that-butters-the/)

[Linda Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-robinson/)

> [“One way or another, we spend our whole lives being conditioned into accepting some line or order, some position of domination or subjection. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-james/one-way-or-another-we-spend-our-whole-lives-being-conditioned-into/)

[Cliff James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-james/)

> [The power of patriarchy has been to make maleness feared and to make men feel that it is better to be feared that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/the-power-of-patriarchy-has-been-to-make-maleness-feared-and-to-make/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [“The representation of women in the society, especially through mass media has been the most delusional act ever done on the grounds of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-representation-of-women-in-the-society-especially-through-mass/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Women are rising. And I think that's all the violence and war - it could be the last gasp of the patriarchy, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/women-are-rising-and-i-think-that-s-all-the-violence-and-war-it-could/)

[Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/)

> [“The envisaged self is the next stage in human evolution, and it will be born explicitly from the refusion of experienced spirit and experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-sj/the-envisaged-self-is-the-next-stage-in-human-evolution-and-it-will/)

[Monica Sjöö](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-sj/)

## More by Amanda Foreman

> [When I read 'The Master', I felt that I had read a true classic. It's so rare nowadays that you have that feeling: it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/when-i-read-the-master-i-felt-that-i-had-read-a-true-classic-it-s-so/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [Over the years, the writers at DC Comics softened Wonder Woman's powers in ways that would have infuriated Marston. During the 1960s, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/over-the-years-the-writers-at-dc-comics-softened-wonder-woman-s/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [“trying his best to discourage them,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/trying-his-best-to-discourage-them/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [When I was in my twenties, I strongly identified with Jane Austen's 'Emma' - her human failings mixed with a desire to do good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-i-strongly-identified-with-jane-austen-s/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [Almost the first thing Obama did in the White House was to return the bust of Winston Churchill to the British embassy. That suggests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/almost-the-first-thing-obama-did-in-the-white-house-was-to-return-the/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [As a working mother, wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law, I have to make constant moral choices. Every choice I make results in someone else suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/as-a-working-mother-wife-daughter-and-daughter-in-law-i-have-to-make/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [For centuries, divorce in the West was a male tool of control - a legislative chastity belt designed to ensure that a wife had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/for-centuries-divorce-in-the-west-was-a-male-tool-of-control-a/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [The creators of Wonder Woman had no interest in proving an actual link to the past. In some parts of the academic world, however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/the-creators-of-wonder-woman-had-no-interest-in-proving-an-actual/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [Teach her story to future generations, and at least the moral debt owed to Jean McConville can be repaid. Jean McConville. Jean McConville. Jean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/teach-her-story-to-future-generations-and-at-least-the-moral-debt/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [Today, we are fortunate that the historical novel has reached such extraordinary heights of technical mastery. The ability of society to connect with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/today-we-are-fortunate-that-the-historical-novel-has-reached-such/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [It isn't enough for a book to be transporting or entertaining; it must also come from a place of knowledge and an understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/it-isn-t-enough-for-a-book-to-be-transporting-or-entertaining-it-must/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [When women do take on traditionally male subjects, certain male colleagues can seem affronted that a woman has dared to trespass on their subject.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/when-women-do-take-on-traditionally-male-subjects-certain-male/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [A small foot in China, no different from a tiny waist in Victorian England, represented the height of female refinement. For families with marriageable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/a-small-foot-in-china-no-different-from-a-tiny-waist-in-victorian/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [The photograph of the Queen sitting stiffly across the table from Glasgow resident Susan McCarron is so natural and expressive that it looks utterly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/the-photograph-of-the-queen-sitting-stiffly-across-the-table-from/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [“I feel I've done some things in life too late and others too early”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/i-feel-i-ve-done-some-things-in-life-too-late-and-others-too-early/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

[Explore all 69 Amanda Foreman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

## More Dawn quotes

> [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/)

[Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [May dawn, as the proverb goes, bring happy tidings coming from her mother night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/may-dawn-as-the-proverb-goes-bring-happy-tidings-coming-from-her/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/slow-buds-the-pink-dawn-like-a-rose-from-out-night-s-gray-and-cloudy/)

[Sarah Chauncey Woolsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/)

> [“Another dawn flung itself across the river; a belated taxi hurried along the street, its lamps still shining like burning eyes in a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/another-dawn-flung-itself-across-the-river-a-belated-taxi-hurried/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [When there's doom and gloom, don't forget there's darkness before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/when-there-s-doom-and-gloom-don-t-forget-there-s-darkness-before-dawn/)

[Rakesh Jhunjhunwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/)

> [I just wanna stay weird till dawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozavzi-jason-trespect/i-just-wanna-stay-weird-till-dawn/)

Ozavzi Jason Trespect

> [After my final Breaking Dawn scene, I felt like I could shoot up into the night sky and every pore of my body would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/after-my-final-breaking-dawn-scene-i-felt-like-i-could-shoot-up-into/)

[Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/)

> [My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-feller/my-father-kept-me-busy-from-dawn-to-dusk-when-i-was-a-kid-when-i-wasn/)

[Bob Feller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-feller/)

> [Don't you know that day dawns after night, showers displace drought, and spring and summer follow winter? Then, have hope! Hope forever, for God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/don-t-you-know-that-day-dawns-after-night-showers-displace-drought/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [In the beginning, people prayed to the Creatress of Life, the Mistress of Heaven. At the very dawn of religion, God was a woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-stone/in-the-beginning-people-prayed-to-the-creatress-of-life-the-mistress/)

[Merlin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-stone/)

> [You've reached your 60th birthday, Bill To the year, the day, the hour You've been a lifelong country boy Along with Lily, your flower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walter-bratton/you-ve-reached-your-60th-birthday-bill-to-the-year-the-day-the-hour/)

[John Walter Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walter-bratton/)

> [J. Budziszewski is perhaps the clearest and most eloquent natural lawyer writing today. When reading his works I often find myself amazed by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-j-beckwith/j-budziszewski-is-perhaps-the-clearest-and-most-eloquent-natural/)

[Francis J. Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-j-beckwith/)

[Browse all 1,500 Dawn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dawn/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the Amazons were not a myth but a fact. In his view, humanity started out under the rule of womankind and only switched to patriarchy at the dawn of civilization.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amanda Foreman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-thesis-that-the-amazons-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dawn"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-thesis-that-the-amazons-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcd/amanda-foreman-9894_dawn_in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-t_439728.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In 1861, Bachofen published his radical thesis that the Amazons were not a myth but a fact. In his view…” — Amanda Foreman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Amanda Foreman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In 1861, Bachofen published his radical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-thesis-that-the-amazons-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/in-1861-bachofen-published-his-radical-thesis-that-the-amazons-were/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```