Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)

Riane Eisler

4.14 · Rating details · 2,988 ratings · 252 reviews

The legacy of the sacred feminine.

The Chalice and the Blade tells a new story of our cultural origins. It shows that warfare and the war of the sexes are neither divinely nor biologically ordained. It provides verification that a better future is possible—and is in fact firmly rooted in the haunting dramas of what happened in our past.

Get A Copy

Paperback, 304 pages

Published September 21st 1988 by HarperOne (first published 1987)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Chalice and the Blade, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Feminist Books

2,116 books — 3,148 voters

The Ms. Blog's Best Feminist Non-Fiction Reads: Reader's Choice

657 books — 550 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.14 ·

Rating details

· 2,988 ratings · 252 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)

Apr 03, 2009 Meg rated it liked it

Shelves: history, non-fiction, cultural-studies-and-anthropology, gender, religion

Three stars because it was a pretty interesting read, and she covers, well, all of human history.

I read it because I know a number of people who claim this book fundamentally shaped their worldview (and a number of others who don't make that claim, but are certainly influenced by the popularity of Eisler's ideas).

The first half is in large part a summary and popularizing of the work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, who argues that before the spread of Indo-European civilization there existed a Three stars because it was a pretty interesting read, and she covers, well, all of human history.

I read it because I know a number of people who claim this book fundamentally shaped their worldview (and a number of others who don't make that claim, but are certainly influenced by the popularity of Eisler's ideas).

The first half is in large part a summary and popularizing of the work of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, who argues that before the spread of Indo-European civilization there existed a matrifocal [NOT matriarchal:], peaceful, egalitarian society, that practiced a predominately female-oriented polytheism that also involved a single Goddess figure.

Gimbutas is a highly controversial figure in archaeology, and I tried to wade a bit into the debate around her by reading a number of articles, to better weigh Eisler's argument.

My conclusion: there are a couple strong points to the idea of a more egalitarian Neolithic society that had possible elements of a religion involving numerous goddesses. Anything after that, we can't really say for sure. Gimbutas, and by extension Eisler, with all her claims after those, moves onto increasingly shakier ground.*

I feel like my comments on the second half of the book, in which Eisler moves away from prehistory to deal with the political power men have had over women throughout history, can be dealt with by pointing out that it's unfortunate that Judith Butler's Gender Trouble came out in 1990, three years after Eisler first wrote this.

Eisler sees the main theme throughout history as "the struggle between so-called feminine and masculine values" (138). That "so-called" is oddly placed, because it's clear that Eisler sees women as the bearers of the peaceful virtues; men are "regressive and violent" unless they submit to a feminine value system.

Which made me realize why I also have trouble believing her claims about a women-oriented peaceful society. I think that true egalitarianism is more likely to be achieved by making our concepts of sex and gender less rigid, more fluid, and more varied, rather than dividing humanity into two halves and constantly trying to either make both halves stay on the correct side, or to persuade one half that they're not good enough because they're not like the other.

*[This book also made me realize how skeptical I am about archaeological evidence in general, but especially about the interpretation of ancient art and symbols. And this I attribute, in large part, to a single exercise done for a class I took on Philosophy and Science Fiction: We had to write a story in which Carl Sagan's Pioneer plaque (see it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_...) was found by either humans or another species who didn't know its origin but had to try and interpret it anyhow... it's pretty clear how ridiculous it is to believe that someone would come up with the "right" meaning.]

...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Jan 16, 2020 ☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ ✺❂❤❣ rated it really liked it

Even though some details seem a bit questionable (possibly!?), many ideas are interesting and illuminating.

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Apr 29, 2010 Wendy Babiak rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-made-me-a-better-person

Loved this book. Helps clarify how we got where we are, and where we can go if we want to. Those who brush this off as feminazi aren't reading well. She reiterates many times that there are gentle men and less-than-gentle women. Nor does she say that the Neolithic matrifocal societies were uptopias with no problems, just that they focused on nurturing rather than destruction. Her ideas about a gylanic society based on linking rather than ranking are excellent and should be pursued.

flag 21 likes · Like · see review

May 07, 2012 Nebuchadnezzar rated it did not like it

Shelves: gender-and-sexuality, anthropology-and-ethnography, archaeology, history, religion-and-atheism, hack-jobs-and-bullshit

Not in a million years should The Chalice and the Blade be considered a work of feminism or competent scholarship in general. (Indeed, it is, in fact, widely rejected by even feminist archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians.) Many of Eisler's arguments are recycled from the later work of Marija Gimbutas, who claimed that Paleolithic and Neolithic "Venus" statuettes and figurines were representations of a "Mother Goddess." The speculation is plentiful, but the evidence is not. There is no ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2011 Steve Cran rated it it was amazing

During the Neolithic times our world was a much different place. The evidence is present not only in our technology but also of the presence of certain statues all over Europe. They are called Venus statues. They were misjudged at first and archaeologists thought they were used for lustful purposes. Well they were wrong the statues were used to worship the Goddess. The Goddess was seen as the creator of all, the giver of birth. There was a male consort who co -ruled with her. In those times heri During the Neolithic times our world was a much different place. The evidence is present not only in our technology but also of the presence of certain statues all over Europe. They are called Venus statues. They were misjudged at first and archaeologists thought they were used for lustful purposes. Well they were wrong the statues were used to worship the Goddess. The Goddess was seen as the creator of all, the giver of birth. There was a male consort who co -ruled with her. In those times heritability was passed matrilineally going down mother through daughter. In those days men and women shared power and responsibility. Life was based on agriculture and fighters were not admired. Everyone had what they needed and there was no gap between rich and poor like there is today. This was the time of the chalice. When the Earth was bountiful. But something happened to change all that and people began to fight one another. It was a time of the blade.

Crete which was the seat of Minoan civilization. Was Goddess centered. Greek philosopher called these people divine. They had fertile land their art was pleasing to the eye. Violent kings were not worshiped. There were no weapon or art scenes glorifying violence.There was a queen running the civilization as evidenced by their elaborate tombs. The form of governments was called Gilany. Which meant partnership between man and women. This would change with the coming off the Acheans who stormed their island and took it over. It is believed that most of the men were killed and the women were kept on as slaves and wives.

The Acheans were of Indo European stock who worshiped a warlike male god. Originally they were nomads who had no agricultural skills to speak of. they relied on Pillage and plundering. Crete was one of the lat places to fall. The warlike Indo-Europeans took over practically all of Europe and abolished the Gilany life style in favor of Andocracy. Andocracy is male dominated system of ranking people through coercion of violence. The power elite takes all the privilege for themselves. In this system the Goddess is subdued. The Kurgans were the ones who over ran Europe.

Yet despite their best efforts they could not keep the Goddess and her enlightened ways down. In the legends of old which were refashioned putting the male God on top and the Goddess in the lower position even humiliating, were used to control the society they had conquered. All across Europe and the Levant women lost their positions of power. Priestess and oracles were abolished. In Sumerian Legend and later Biblical legend the Goddess under went a transformation. In the beginning, tree's or sacred groves were sacred places meant for dispensing wisdom and blessing. The snake was a healing sign. All this got turned on it's head. Now the women tempted by the evil serpent is tricked into eating of the tree of knowledge. For her stupidity both Adam and eve are sent out of the Garden of Eden or Sacred groves.

On he Island of Crete they entered the Mycenaean age which saw the blossoming of the old ways.The Acheans adopted thee ways of the people they conquered. Oracle were established and listened to . Academies set up that taught women equally with men. In the Levant a figure named Jesus arose preaching compassion, non aggression and that women were equal. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene first on his resurrection before coming to anybody else. She was almost the church leader. But of course Adocracy prevailed in the end. Later on the Dorians take over with a viscous onslaught. The ways of the Goddess creep up again.

Right now things are horrible under this andocratic system. We spend more on our military than feeding our children and educating them. One missile could feed hundreds and also fund some much needed areas in our schools. The idea of conquest and power must be replaced by Gilany or partnership. ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 15, 2017 Katja Vartiainen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, mythology, history

So, I give this book 5 stars even though I know well the controversy about Gimbutas's work, Eisler based her prehistoric analysis on.
Eisler, as has for example Joseph Campbell, emphasizes how important the myth is to our evolution as a species and as a person. A mythology is psychological/spiritual model for us as we grow into maturity throughout our lives. I dived into the debate that has, and is going on online, and I haven't yet read Gimbutas's work. But, I have read Joseph Cambell's primitiv So, I give this book 5 stars even though I know well the controversy about Gimbutas's work, Eisler based her prehistoric analysis on.
Eisler, as has for example Joseph Campbell, emphasizes how important the myth is to our evolution as a species and as a person. A mythology is psychological/spiritual model for us as we grow into maturity throughout our lives. I dived into the debate that has, and is going on online, and I haven't yet read Gimbutas's work. But, I have read Joseph Cambell's primitive mythology, and it seems few things are evident:
-there were numerous places with numerous females figurines to be found in the neolithic era.
- at the point around the horse tribes invasions, the figurines seem to have disappeared, and have not since existed in the western/middle eastern world, as compared for example, the hindu gods and goddess pairs and elsewhere.
- the rest of the books's history is unfortunately recorded brutal history of women's secondary and as such abused place in the history of human kind. No news there.

I think this book is a new paradigm. Sure, it's from 1987, but if we take a longer view, it's not that old. Unfortunately, the hope filled vision she has for the future- really like the Star Trek, isn't it?- seems to be yet further. But what is important about this whole book is that we could give Eisler's vision a possibility. Since the criticism claims 'we don't know for sure about the past', then one possibility of the past could be a more egalitarian society, which the graves seem to indicate. We need another vision for the pessimistic ' humans are just greedy bastards by nature and that's it'.
These days we even have science to back up that altruism benefits the human mental and physical health AND the society. The drop widens effect.

The book is very well written and researched. It's a hard read at times, even though nothing of it was new to me. Reminded me of Lars von Trier's Anti-Christ...Anyway, we don't know for sure about prehistoric beliefs, but do we need to? Or do we create our own myth seen that what we have up to now, has not worked instead endangered the life of the whole planet, as we know it. It's indeed time to get away from the masculine-feminine, black-white, ally-enemy thinking towards something completely different. This book inspired me and I want to read more about all this and more. ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2011 Pat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club

Having just read Half the Sky, Infidel, and several books about the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints), I recalled this book which I had read a number of years ago. The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler is a cultural anthropology and analysis of what she calls dominator societies vs partnership societies. The cultures in Half the Sky, for example, are extreme dominator societies. That women are not valued is how they work. What it takes to change them has been Eisler's life work since s ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2007 Laura rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Pagans

Shelves: witchynonfiction

This was a life-changing book for me. It helped me to connect and make sense of all the stories and myths I had read about from other religions. In doing so, it firmly established the Goddess in my life, and as I look back it is responsible for my decision to become a Witch and devote my life to the feminine energy of the Goddess. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I feel it is a must for all spiritual women...an awesome book and a real eye-opener to say the least!!

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2012 Christina rated it did not like it

'Attempts' to use evolutionary theory to explain how, through punctuated equilibrium, men rose up and took over the peaceful female-dominated societies all over the world. Apparently all men are evil 'blades' who want destruction and women are all good 'chalices' who believe in religion and want peace and harmony. Eisler argues that there has been a conspiracy within science to hide these early peaceful societies, as evidence she cites an anecdote about an anthropologist she really likes getting ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2009 Uglyoldwitch rated it it was amazing

Like DaVinci Code? Read this. This book is where the information came from, this book is the mother to many, many others...

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 19, 2015 Antigone rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: religion-mythology

"...in individuals as in nations, contentment is silent, which tends to unbalance the historical record."

This often overlooked truth, advanced by historian Barbara W. Tuchman, is wielded with a vengeance in Riane Eisler's The Chalice and the Blade. Eisler directs our attention to the least advertised stages of societal evolution, those of relative peace and prosperity, in which nothing strident rises up to catch the eye - and which we fail, rather consistently, to recognize as eras of manifest a "...in individuals as in nations, contentment is silent, which tends to unbalance the historical record."

This often overlooked truth, advanced by historian Barbara W. Tuchman, is wielded with a vengeance in Riane Eisler's The Chalice and the Blade. Eisler directs our attention to the least advertised stages of societal evolution, those of relative peace and prosperity, in which nothing strident rises up to catch the eye - and which we fail, rather consistently, to recognize as eras of manifest achievement. Century upon century of solid, sustained and quite routine existence has occurred, and the fact that I couldn't put my finger on one (that finger notorious for skipping to the war, the outrage, the despot, the destruction) served to bring me up short and follow, for a time, where this author meant to lead.

It is Eisler's contention that humanity is possessed of two different approaches to the living of a communal life. One is the dominator model in which all resources, powers and intent are directed toward progress through suppression. Here are the marauders, the invaders, the warriors, the kings; the students of the blade. The second approach is referred to as the partnership model (or chalice). This avenue directs all resources, powers and intent toward progress through supportive connection. Here are the builders, the naturalists, the artisans, the caretakers; those who choose to spend less energy on ranking and more on linking the disparate forces they happen across. It is Eisler's assertion that these models are in constant flux, with the dominator most frequently in the ascendant - and one of the results of that ascendancy has been the suppression in our histories of those peaceful and prosperous times in which the partnership model thrived. (An adversarial response to be sure.)

Simply placing these ideas in context is supremely delicate work. It becomes obvious quite quickly that the fundamental concept can exist only as an indistinct impression. Our language and current modes of thinking clearly aren't set up for this. Yet Eisler perseveres, applying her considerations to nations, religions and cultures throughout the ages. We end in starkly feminist territory which, frankly, I've found can be a minefield for material of this sort. Still, it's worth the risk. If you are fond of that perilous feeling you get when your mind perches on the very verge of expansion? You'll have some fun with this.

...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jun 01, 2010 Melissa rated it did not like it

Shelves: philosophy, religion

Apparently, the author and the publisher thought that this 300 page work of prevaricated, atrociously researched swill was passable. They are gravely mistaken.

I am not a diseased, half-dead pack animal who can't think, so I'm not sure why the author treats me as such. This book is poorly written, Ms. Eisler spoon feeds readers her opinions that are poorly veiled as facts, her writing lacks style, and for a history it lacks what it needs: actual history.

My main criticism is that this book is mark ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2019 Claire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminism, nonfiction, history, anthropology

Riane Eisler was born in Vienna, Austria and with her family fled for their lives, first to Cuba and finally to the United States, experiencing three different cultures, each with their own version of truth and reality.

Very early in my life I saw that what people in different cultures consider given - just the way things are - is not the same everywhere. I also very early developed a passionate concern about the human situation.

She began to ask herself many questions:

Why do we hunt and persecute

...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Kenneth rated it it was amazing

Five stars. An exceptionally important, brilliant book. It is a rare book, indeed, that can change a person's entire view of human history.

I've seen copies around for years but never read it. I recently got a copy of a later book by Eisler (The Real Wealth of Nations), then saw a copy of TCATB for a dollar, and thought I would take a quick look at it first. I picked it up and was immediately engrossed. Starting about 10,000 years ago, and continuing for a period of about 30 centuries, widespread Five stars. An exceptionally important, brilliant book. It is a rare book, indeed, that can change a person's entire view of human history.

I've seen copies around for years but never read it. I recently got a copy of a later book by Eisler (The Real Wealth of Nations), then saw a copy of TCATB for a dollar, and thought I would take a quick look at it first. I picked it up and was immediately engrossed. Starting about 10,000 years ago, and continuing for a period of about 30 centuries, widespread European, Mediterranean, and Mesopotamian peaceful communities of settled humans, revering goddesses of fertility, flourished.

These early civilizations invented principles of food growing, containers, pottery, clothing fibers, construction techniques, leather work, and later, metal technologies in silver, gold, brass, and bronze. "The words found in Sumerian texts for farmer, plow, and furrow are not Sumerian. Neither are the words for weaver, leathermaker, smith, mason, and potter." (p66)

There is much, much more--about Crete, about the waves of violent invaders with their horses, iron weapons, and thunderous, angry sky gods. But the part of the book that was an absolute revelation and liberation for me was how these two general patterns--peaceful settled communities invaded by male dominated violent nomads--apply specifically to the nomadic Hebrew tribes invading Caanan.

All of a sudden, the accounts in the Hebrew and Christian scripture about the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge, the Tree of Life begin to make deeper, more complete sense. As do the demonization and subjugation of women taught in our culture and reinforced by our preeminent religious tradition. Even the snake, previously a sacred feminine totem, is shown in a completely new light. Adding information gained by systematic analysis of archaeological evidence for many years completely shifted my understanding of this critical time in Western history.

There are still visible--buried in the Hebrew scriptures--many references to this previous culture:

"We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.
Jeremiah 44:16-18"

I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family and know first hand that the violence, strictness, judgement, irrationality, and domination by men (and masculine values)are still very much alive in our culture.

I did not find the final quarter of the book as utterly absorbing, and must admit I find the terms "gylanic" and "gylany" awkward.

I do not know of a more important book to help return our cultural direction to a sustainable path. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2007 Brendan rated it liked it

The first 66% of this book is fantastic-- a well-researched and developed argument that we must view our notions of anthropology and history with an extremely critical eye.

Unfortunately, the last third of the book leaves all that behind, and becomes a flight of fantasy as it describes what society might be like if based on a more egalitarian method.

So I recommend it based on the holes it punches in many of our most taken for granted beliefs on historic and prehistoric mankind, but don't put too ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2010 Bitsy rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, religion

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this book. A lot of what I read in its pages changed my entire worldview and caused me to reevaluate the history of the world as I knew it through a feminist lense and to change how I felt and thought about that history. There was a lot in this book that I didn’t completely agree with but there were many parts that I was glad to have read and have reached a deeper and richer understanding of the world because of it.

The Chalice and the Blad I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this book. A lot of what I read in its pages changed my entire worldview and caused me to reevaluate the history of the world as I knew it through a feminist lense and to change how I felt and thought about that history. There was a lot in this book that I didn’t completely agree with but there were many parts that I was glad to have read and have reached a deeper and richer understanding of the world because of it.

The Chalice and the Blade is a book divided into two basic parts. The lion's share of the book is devoted to a detailed history of human kind comparing and contrasting the two different basic types of worship: god worship and goddess worship, worship of a dominating war-like god and worship of a nurturing loving goddess. The societies that practiced these are taken apart and examined and a lot of history is re-evaluated along these lines of dominator societies and equality societies.

The beginning was fascinating to read about, to hear about these societies that practiced worship of a female goddess that were run by a semi-democratic government with women making up the majority of the leadership. To hear about the research and archaeological work on these sites, the fact that they had paved roads, irrigation systems, drainage systems, and probably lived in better and cleaner cities than some people in third and fourth world countries today can boast of, eight thousand years before the birth of Christ was absolutely stunning to read about. To hear about their destruction at the hands of dominator societies, heartbreaking.

A lot of history starts to make sense once you read the beginning chapters of this book. How do we learn such amazing things and then "forget" them for centuries on end? Why does our society seem to stagnate for thousands of years at a time? What happened to the goddesses of long ago? These and more are answered and the answers make this book worth the read in my opinion.

Some of this book seems very anti-christian and anti-semitic. Those parts were a little uncomfortable to read about. It does explain why the first half of the bible is filled with war and hate and the second half peace and love. If you can hold on until chapter nine the answers will surprised you. This author is not anti-religion, just anti-hate. Jesus Christ was actually one of the first recorded, and definitely the loudest, speaker for the support of love and equality of all people. After reading the chapters that came before, you realize how amazing it is that he spoke the way he did in the time and society that he did. It was pure blasphemy.

A lot of the coverage of the more recent history I didn't really agree with. This happened a few times in the earlier chapters but it happened a lot later. It seemed like the author just went too far and tried to draw the lines of comparison too much and in places where they didn't belong. Was there a hatred that sparked Jesus' disciples to try and oust the women placed in positions of leadership in the church? Yes. Was the same hatred of women and their gaining of equality and rights what helped spark World War I and II? Not so much. Her expertise is clearly with the former and not the later.

In spite of that and the ending, which seemed to me to have lost its way, this was a powerful and enlightening book. Read it for the first three quarters if nothing else. The new insight and the new worldview you will gain about the history of god and goddess worshiping cultures makes it worth it. Just be prepared to switch gears once she gets beyond her realm of expertise as she does stumble in the last few chapters, and by the end finds that while this new understanding can change how we view our past not even she can come up with a way for it to help guide our future. Many questions are answered in this book, but some we just have to answer for ourselves. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Jen Marin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction-spirituality, nonfiction-history, evergreen-books

Eisler reframes the age old idea of the 'war between the sexes' into something equally polarizing, yet more inclusive. Many people have examined the problems of humanity as an inevitable outcome of our innate aggression and territoriality. Our history clearly how the forces of war, colonialism, nationalism and greed have shaped the world as we know it.

On closer inspection, however, the picture is less clear than we have long believed. I was surprised to learn that archaeology, as a science, only Eisler reframes the age old idea of the 'war between the sexes' into something equally polarizing, yet more inclusive. Many people have examined the problems of humanity as an inevitable outcome of our innate aggression and territoriality. Our history clearly how the forces of war, colonialism, nationalism and greed have shaped the world as we know it.

On closer inspection, however, the picture is less clear than we have long believed. I was surprised to learn that archaeology, as a science, only became serious after World War II. Before this time, Egyptology and the like were mostly a front for imperialistic grave robbers, vying for the shiniest addition to their national museums. Dating of artifacts was done through assumption until the advent of carbon 14 technology and dendrochronography. All of this combined created a vision of the past that was heavily tainted by the expectations and experience of those who unearthed ancient sites.

Proper dating technology has painted a new picture of the ancient past. It seems that in many parts of Old Europe, there were Goddess worshiping cultures that harnessed their intelligence towards creating healthy communities. In these cities, sometimes occupied for millenia, there is no evidence of weapons, ruler-kings, or the glorification of war. In fact, some sites were occupied for thousands of years without any evidence of war. These cultures showed a surprising equality between the sexes, as well as a lack of hierarchy. The concentration of wealth by the powerful that we take for granted is something that came much later.

As the nomadic herding tribes migrated into the regions occupied by these Neolithic culture, they found great wealth and little defensive technology. The cities were rather ripe for the plucking. Once this occurred, people reorganized their focus, working hard to develop weapons technology for offensive and defensive purposes. This arms race continues in the present day.

The unfortunate side effect of this race is that early technological advances in city planning, in art, and other technologies of peace were put aside in the face of this new human created danger. Earlier assumptions about the dates of some primitive looking artifacts turned out to be wrong; after war came to these cultures, their technological development came to a halt, and much technology was lost and forgotten.

These peaceful Neolithic cultures predate Sumer by millennia. Sumer is often recognized as the cradle of civilization; it would be better to describe it as the cradle of modern culture of warfare. Eisler calls these cultures "dominator cultures", whereas the earlier Goddess worshiping groups engaged in a partnership model. By the time that Sumer was in full swing, the partnership model had been overcome by the warrior culture of the nomadic steppes.

As we hurtle into the 21st century, we spend unthinkable amounts of resources coming with better ways to kill each other. The amount of resources spent on military budgets worldwide could transform our world if we put them to better use. We have the technology to feed, clothe, and house people, but as long as we surrender to the dominator model, resources will continue to be concentrated in the hands of the few while the many suffer from need and lack. Eisler urges us to give up the old ways of aggressive ranking and warfare, and create a new world in which we find solutions that work to build communities, create prosperity, and improve the quality of life for our entire human family. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 27, 2009 Jenna rated it it was amazing

It tends to happen that each new book I read then becomes my favorite - but this book did such a good job answering so many questions for me (giving me a system wide look instead of too focused) that I am now in awe of my new worldview. She answered my questions of "Where did patriarchy come from? How did it begin and why has it lasted as our social system to this day? What better possibilities can we aim for?"

The Chalice and the Blade is a very level headed approach to what is often a heated to ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2011 Alan rated it it was amazing

This book was required reading for a workshop I attended on Starr Island for a Religious Education retreat sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association

It changed my life as I began to understand and believe that there is an alternative to the Dominator model which most of our world has been living under for the last 4,000 years. The Partnership model which prevailed prior to much of our recorded history is what I strive for now. You have to read it to understand it, and whether you accept ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2011 Jj rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My personal change agent. I read this book at a juncture in my life when many things were changing. I have read Chalice more than 5 times, have been in book studies on it and led them as well. In nearly every case women who have not encountered information like this before have often profound experiences with waking up. My copy is dog-eared, underlined, commented in and loved dearly for what it has brought me and other women I love.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2018 C. Drying rated it it was amazing

WHY DID YOU READ THIS BOOK?

This one has been on my TBR shelf for twenty years, so I figured it was time to read it. Of course, having come of age at the tail end of the second wave of feminism, I’m not unfamiliar with the content; nevertheless, I wanted to brush up on the subject for a work of fiction I’m writing.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK?

I think Riane Eisler is a very good writer, and HarperCollins editors are excellent too. The writing in this book is clean and tight and erudite, just ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Walt rated it liked it

I found this book to be more a work of speculative fiction than the cultural anthropology that it pretends to be.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2013 Annette rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ladies-book-group

Audio is a bit dry but the book is great, hopeful. We humans CAN live in a non-patriarchal (and non-matriarchal) society in PEACE.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 30, 2019 Robin Tobin (On the back porch reading) rated it really liked it

Shelves: religious-spiritual, nonfiction

An all time spiritual classic...

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2008 Bill rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Until reading this book, I thought the arguments that early human cultures were peaceful egalitarian Goddess worshipers was about as strong as the arguments that early human beings were brutish war-mongering death-worshipers. Both directions seemed to be speculative wishful thinking based on very limited weak evidence. But this book provides a great overview of recent archeological finds and corrections of earlier literature that didn't have the benefits of carbon dating. It is quite convincing ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2009 Erik Graff rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: political-social-science

This book is comparable to such archaic utopian works as Engels' On the Family and E. Morgan's Descent of Women, but, like Morgan's, without the excuse of ignorance. When Engels wrote in the nineteenth century his ideas of a prehistoric cooperatism were at least plausible and, indeed, supported by contemporaneous anthropological work. When Morgan and Eisler wrote, however, much more work had been done and little evidence accumulated to support the hypothesis of an archaic social paradise.

Such ev ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 07, 2007 David Wright rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Everyone

This book and its sequel, Sacred Pleasure, really need to be read back to back, because it shows how society can be changed by the stories we tell ourselves and each other and how power can be usurped based on untruts about the feminine, and that within the masculine. They have been the foundation pieces of partnership work done in Sustainable Ballard. A good solid study of how we became the way we are.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 07, 2010 Christy rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2010

I guess it's a sign of how well these ideas have been disseminated since this book was published that I found nothing all that new to me here. (Or maybe it's just because I live in Northern California...)But it's always welcome to hear evidence that human history hasn't just been a straight line of organized violence from the African savannah to Pax Americana.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2009 Dave rated it really liked it

A very informative view of humanity's goddess-worshiping, egalitarian past and the ways that Western culture of dominance has sought to erase the memory such traditions. An inspirational read for those who seek a broader explanation of our cultures past and greater possibilities for our future.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Suzanne rated it it was amazing

Clears a lot of the mystery about why women have become second class citizens

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

History

141 users

Nonfiction

121 users

Feminism

90 users

Religion

46 users

Anthropology

41 users

Womens

27 users

See top shelves…

About Riane Eisler

Riane Eisler

98 followers

Riane Eisler is internationally known for her bestseller The Chalice and The Blade, now in 26 foreign editions and celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new 2017 epilogue in its 57th US printing, as well as for other award-winning books. She keynotes conferences worldwide, with venues including the United Nations General Assembly and the US Department of State. She is President of the Center for ...more

Books by Riane Eisler

Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth and the Politics of the Body

The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics

The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life

The Partnership Way: New Tools for Living and Learning

Tomorrow's Children: A Blueprint for Partnership Education in the 21st Century

More…

7 Great Books Hitting Shelves This Week

Need another excuse to treat yourself to new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day. To create our lis...

Trivia About The Chalice and t...

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Chalice and t...

“All over the ancient world populations were now set against populations, as men were set against women and against other men. Wandering over the width and breadth of this disintegrating world, masses of refugees were everywhere fleeing their homelands, desperately searching for a haven, for a safe place to go.

But there was no such place left in their new world. For this was now a world where, having violently deprived the Goddess and the female half of humanity of all power, gods and men of war ruled. It was a world in which the Blade, and not the Chalice, would henceforth be supreme, a world in which peace and harmony would be found only in the myths and legends of a long lost past.” — 15 likes

“When we look closely, not only at what Jesus taught but at how he went about disseminating his message, time and again we find that what he was preaching was the gospel of a partnership society. He rejected the dogma that high-ranking men - in Jesus' day, priests, nobles, rich men, and kings - are the favorites of God. He mingled freely with women, thus openly rejecting the male-supremacist norms of his time. And in sharp contrast to the views of later Christian sages, who actually debated whether woman has an immortal soul, Jesus did not preach the ultimate dominator message: that women are spiritually inferior to men.” — 4 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Riane Eisler

Books by Riane Eisler

Related Articles

Trivia About The Chalice and t...

Quotes from The Chalice and t...

See a Problem?

Preview — The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler

The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future (Updated With a New Epilogue)

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Riane Eisler

Books by Riane Eisler

Related Articles

Trivia About The Chalice and t...

Quotes from The Chalice and t...

new topic
Discuss This Book