Award winning historian Bettany Hughes on BBC World News show, Divine Women, sets out on an epic journey to trace the hidden history of women in religion, to feisty political operators and warrior empresses. She speaks with SHAlINI SAKSENA about why women were considered divine & why the society downgraded a woman’s role around the 4th century AD
Who are the Divine WomenIJ
Although women have always made up 50 per cent of the human population, they only occupy 0.5 per cent of our written history. When we look at the archaeological and historical evidence for the female connection to the divine, it is a completely different story. So by tracing the history of different kinds of Divine Women — deities and the flesh and blood women — I thought I would be able to share a new history of the world, to tell a more truthful and fuller story of civilisation. As a result the series ranges from explorations of the very first mother Goddesses, of Durga, Kali, early Christian priestesses, Chinese Empresses and many more!
How did the origin of women as theological figures come into existenceIJ
The earliest evidence we have of a religious building (from Gobekli Tepe in Turkey) shows images of women at the heart of the sacred space. Through the Stone Age and Bronze Age we find gorgeous, voluptuous females who seem to be half human-half divine. There is no question that in early societies women are worshiped than male figures. The first named piece of literature in the world written by a woman over 4,000 years ago in fact comes from a priestess called Ennehuadanna.
How different was the role of women in the first 300 years of the ChurchIJ
Women seem to have played a crucial and central role in the establishment of the early Christian Church. Fifty per cent of the Churches founded in the first 200 years of Christianity in Rome were founded or named after women. This seems to change in the 4th century AD once Christianity has become the majority religion of the Roman Empire. What is interesting is that the early populations of the Christian world ‘believed’ there was a gospel of Mary and wanted to read and share it with one another. There is a lot more still to be discovered.
In what way did our ancestors think of women as divineIJ
If we look, for instance, at the Bronze Age cultures of the Greeks — the Mycenean and Minoans for example — the women appear to have a ‘special relationship’ with God and the spirit world. They are allowed to sit next to Goddesses on their frescoes. I think that in many ways women in these early worlds were through to walk hand-in-hand with the Gods.
What, in your opinion, is the reason for the connection between women and religionIJ
Women are very good at thinking holistically, at seeing the possibilities in the world but doing that in a way that has a minimal, negative impact on those around them. Also for millennia women’s ability to give birth was thought miraculous, gave them a special status and a kind of inherent power.
Why is it that women have not played a significant role in the history of mankindIJ
I think there is a practical issue. If you are giving birth, nurturing infants or raising young children that is an incredibly important job and time-consuming. There was a big shift around 1,500 BC. Up until then women having marked influence in the world. This is before civilisations got greedy, before they start ed consistently invading other’s territories. We got to the stage of aggression. Suddenly, male Gods and men in society seem to have more sway, which downgraded women’s role.
How did the idea of the series come upIJ
There are many TV films that talk about great battles, conquests and the history of technology. But nothing that has explored the role of women in the story of history. I thought this would be an interesting, revealing, new way of looking at the story of the world.
What kind of research did you do before filmingIJ
I have spent the last 25 years dedicating myself both to the exploration of the story of humanity and of communicating that knowledge to as wide an audience as possible. I always do original research.
One particular divine woman who inspired youIJ
There are so many. I have huge respect for real women who stand up to oppression and misogyny. But one can’t help but be impressed by Wu Xetien (the Empress of China in the 7th century AD who ruled for over 50 years as an emperor). She fought against the odds, with the help of Buddhism, to make her mark in the world. I am also a big fan of Goddesses of wisdom — Athena in Ancient Greek, Sophia in the Bible and of course, Saraswati in the Hindu tradition.