Throughout the ancient period, societies in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas developed in relative isolation from the dominant cultures of Eurasia and the Mediterranean basin. Therefore, cultural norms and social organizations differed significantly from those seen in Eurasia and the Mediterranean basin.

Women in the Americas:

Focus Questions

• Describe some of the varieties of cultures that developed in the Americas in the Ancient and Medieval period.
• What were women’s status and roles in several different Native American cultures?
• What were women’s status and roles in African societies?
• Both Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas developed with a certain amount of isolation from the Mediterranean and EuroAsian cultures. How do their cultures reflect that isolation? Do you think this impacted how woman’s role developed in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa?
• Name and describe some significant women in the history of ancient and medieval America and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Online Reading:

The Role of Maya Women from the Classic Era to the Civil War

Women in Aztec Civilization

Native Women in North America

Two Spirit gender identity in Native American cultures.

Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

African Women’s Role in Society