When God Was a Woman

Before patriarchal religions reshaped human culture, the Supreme Deity of the ancient world was a woman. This landmark work reveals the forgotten history of Goddess worship—and how women’s power was systematically erased.

For thousands of years across the Near and Middle East, societies revered a powerful female creator. Under the reign of the Goddess, social structures looked remarkably different from today: women held legal autonomy, traded in public markets, and passed down property and titles through maternal lines.

So how did humanity shift from matriarchy to patriarchy? Renowned art historian Merlin Stone traces the dramatic rewriting of religious mythology that dismantled these ancient traditions. She uncovers how early patriarchal societies transformed the Goddess from a figure of reverence into a symbol of temptation and corruption—a shift cemented by foundational cultural myths like the story of Adam and Eve.

Fascinating, meticulously researched, and deeply influential, When God Was a Woman remains essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the historical roots of modern gender roles and rediscover the lost authority of women in the ancient world.