Summarize Kramer's Sumer

1. Summarize Kramer’s argument.

Kramer’s argument is that the importance of goddesses in Sumer decreases as time goes on because of the increase in male dominance. In early Sumer, around 2350 BCE, women and men were treated and valued equally. As time went on, men increasingly devalued women and goddesses. Kramer uses specific examples of goddesses to prove his point. The sexist theologians did not instantly demote all the goddesses, but rather, over the span of hundreds of years. Kramer remarks that the same issues, specifically regarding gender rights, that occurred in Sumer and still continuing today in present society. Women were treated like second-class citizens.

2. Specify, in detail, the evidence Kramer uses.

Kramer references the downfall of many goddesses and Sumer women in his argument. He mentions, Enheduanna, an early Sumer priestess, as an example of how the societies view of women used to be. She is the first known poet and also the spiritual head of the temple of Ur (which was one of Sumer’s biggest cities). Enheduanna wrote many hymns for the goddesses, and she was one of the top literary figures of her time. Kramer then tracks the degression of other female figures, such as Baranamtarra, Ki, Nammu, Bau, Inanna, etc. Baranamtarra was the wife of the first sexist, Urukagina. Though

Not to be mistaken with matriarchical societies (which are completely controlled by females and exclude men), matristic societies value both males and females. Both genders work together equally in social and economical endeavors. Most of the religious figures are goddesses, and they people believe that came from mother earth and greatly value nature.The people in the society value the traditional female values of nurture and attachment to the earth. In early human social organization, women were in charge of gathering food, which amounted to most of the food supply. The storage houses were shaped like a