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Elisha Daeva

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Before War: On Marriage, Hierarchy, and Our Matriarchal Origins Paperback – May 27, 2023

by Elisha Daeva (Author)

5.0 21 ratings

Book 1 of 1: Before War

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The book Before War will change how its readers look at the world — by exposing the female roots of Western civilization. It draws on the evidence from anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, primatology, and the shocking new genetics data, to tell the story of Western civilization.

For readers of Sapiens and The Dawn of Everything, this is about another way that our European ancestors lived, without violence, sexual shame, or social inequality. It’s the story of a story that was buried and re-discovered again and again, and is once again being told, thanks to the new science of genetics. It’s the story of the first rape, genocide and colonization in 3500 BCE, and of the peaceful, egalitarian people who lived before. It’s about the most controversial academic debate of all time, which has raged for 250 years. It’s a funny, sexy take on some heavy topics.

It’s not about blaming men. It’s about standing together against an institution that harms us all.

Are you interested in your Eurasian ancestors, in the truth about our ancient past, or in the origins of social inequality? Do you want practical solutions for how we can save the world, or how you can heal from harmful belief systems? It’s time for a paradigm shift!

Book 1 of 1

Before War
Print length

375 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 27, 2023
Dimensions

6 x 0.94 x 9 inches
ISBN-13

979-8218214142
See all details

David W. Anthony
1,023
Paperback
43 offers from $13.20

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C6BTC3TD
Publisher ‏ : ‎ True Story Books (May 27, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 375 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8218214142
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.94 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #835,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,288 in Archaeology (Books)
- #1,411 in History of Civilization & Culture
- #1,535 in Feminist Theory (Books)

Customer Reviews:
5.0 21 ratings

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Elisha Daeva

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Elisha is an interdisciplinary thinker who has been researching social inequality for almost thirty years. Her degree is in Human Biology from Stanford, a multidisciplinary combination of anthropology, psychology and biology. After working for four years in neuroscience at UCLA, the politics and sexism drove her out of academia. Since then she’s collected data across disciplines to interpret it for the public, reading every book, article, and paper she could find on the rise of dominance in the Bronze Age. She’s travelled the world, visiting matrilineal cultures and searching museums for clues to our ancient past.

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Marshall Lefferts

Challenging core beliefs

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2023

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This book rattles the foundations of our beliefs that have been ingrained by the accounts of human history centered upon patrilineal social structures and ethics. Was there a time before patriarchal dominance when societies were peaceful, cooperative, and centered on the leadership of women and matrilineal heritage? Apparently so. And what happened to erase that from both the living experience of it and any reference to it in history books altogether? That is the compelling story found in Before War; a story that deserves honest and unflinching attention, free of academic bias and censorship, so that the human family can reconsider — and redirect — our core beliefs about who we innately are and what paths we can choose to take going forward cooperatively together. Read this book, for life's sake.

5 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Its time for the ladies to be in charge

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023

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Its such a relief to know that many ancient civilizations were matriarchal. Maybe we can get back to some sanity on Earth in the future too.

One person found this helpful

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Sarah

Couldn't put it down

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2023

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Very interesting and eye opening information along with being very easy to read Elisha Daeva paints a past that doesn't match up with that we were taught in school, maybe because it's so much older than anything we were taught and changes the way we look at the way we live in society then and now. Things haven't always been this way and they don't have to stay.

4 people found this helpful

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Lynda Stevens

There could be a better way

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024

The key is in the title: Before War.

This book challenges the idea that being naturally war-like and violent is a given for our culture. Instead this book argues, alongside other scholars and thinkers, that war is an anomoly, and that our species only became the way it is due to a wrong direction. That wrong direction was a move away from matrilineal cultures.

The reader will have to draw their own conclusions after reading this book for themselves. It does challenge a large number of commonly accepted opinion within the academic world. The implications do however bring an element of optimism, that there could be a better way. A message worth remembering with the current, globally dire situation facing us.

One person found this helpful

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michael nye

Favorite book of this year

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023

I really enjoy reconsidering basic assumptions that are taken for granted. This book challenges many such assumptions about pre-history. Easy to read and well presented information, I have recommend this book to many people. I look forward to seeing how it may shape collective opinion, and hope to see additional work from the author.

2 people found this helpful

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Eric McCool

A stirring, informative, and inspiring read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2023

Before War explores the hidden history of human culture, before the practices of war and coercion dominated society. In a gripping and thoroughly researched narrative, Daeva questions the embedded assumptions of history as written by the force and violence-wielding winners, revealing instead the peaceful, cooperative cultures of “pre-history,” which functioned very differently from our own.

Never before has the feminist narrative been so plainly laid forth in a way that doesn’t blame men for the tragic outcome of male-dominated history, but rather examines the extensive evidence from history, zoology, mythology, linguistics, and archeology that natural culture is governed by feminine wisdom, and that the violence of patriarchy is a self-perpetuating trauma response that gives us war, slavery, and institutional oppression.

This book offers us a sobering look at what we’ve gone through as a species, serving as a reminder that we were not always this way, and that we don’t have to keep things like they are. It offers us a glimpse of our true heritage, and a reminder that we can rebuild the balanced way of life that our ancestors enjoyed.

3 people found this helpful

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AndreaRomance

Entertaining and persuasive

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2023

Using evidence from anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, primatology, and genetics, this book explores the matrilineal, egalitarian roots of civilization before the Indo-European expansion spread patriarchy throughout the world. In an entertaining and persuasive style, the author argues that in matrilineal societies, paternity was irrelevant, leading to less violence and repression, and more equal sharing of resources. In such societies, she suggests, both men and women enjoyed happier, less stressful lives.

The author draws from a variety of sources, some reliable (like "The Dawn of Everything" by David Graeber and David Wengrow) and some less so (like Wikipedia). Read it with a critical eye, but definitely read it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3 people found this helpful

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Terri Zink

A Multi-Discipline look at what impact it had on society moving from Matriarchy to Patriarchy

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2023

I am so glad I read this book! It explains through history, archeology, language, genetics and more, how we have been taught untruths about our origins, culture, and what influence moving from matriarchy to patriarchy did to humans. This is something we have to understand in order to set humanity on a better path going forward.

This book validated what I've always felt as a woman. It just kept getting better and better as I was reading it. This book has such a grand scope that one really gets the complete picture of humanity's cultural changes throughout history.

I highly recommend this ground-breaking, enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable epic work! This is not the type of book I usually read, but I believe it is essential for everyone to know what is revealed in this book. It is a paradigm shift and is information that has changed me forever.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Sherman Bastarache

Everyone needs their eyes opened.

Reviewed in Canada on October 5, 2023

Verified Purchase

This is an incredible work of art. Well written, an easy read. It amazes me that so much critical information about human origins has been left unexplored. This wonderful book covers every topic you can imagine to get to our human feminine origins.

Johnvan

War of sexes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2023

Verified Purchase

Research and entertainment,excellent

Karen Clark

Brilliant work!

Reviewed in Australia on May 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

This is a brilliant book. It gathers together all the threads of our egalitarian past and weaves them into a spectacular luxurious blanket. I am loving this book so much!
This book needs to be read by everyone, especially the Truthers who are insistent that Patriarchy is our default. It is not, and never has been. I too would love to see a debate between this author and Jordan Peterson.
The explanation of how Patriarchy emerged hit the spot immediately. Lack of nutrition, trauma, makes a ton more sense than anything else I've ever read.
If we truly want to change the world, we need to know how we lived in peace originally, so we can do so again.
Thank you so much for writing this contemporary, easily readable, super well researched amazing book!

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