A very fanciful news item made the rounds a few years ago:
the discovery of the first gay
caveman. When I saw the item, I figured the headline writers were just being salacious,
as such writers are. However, the gay caveman was the conclusion of the lead archeologist.
A former newspaper editor of mine used to say, “Never let the facts get in
the way of a good story.” He was being sarcastic, of course. I can only imagine
his words—most of them unprintable—if this story came
across his desk.
The facts are that a man from the Corded Ware culture
was found buried in a manner previously only seen in graves for females.
According to the article, the society, sometimes called the Battle Ax or the
Single Grave culture, typically buried people with gender-specific
tools—weapons for men, pots and jugs for women.
So what does this mean? Well, apparently that the man was
gay. Lead archeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova said, “From history and
ethnology, we know that people from this period took funeral rites very
seriously so it is highly unlikely that this positioning was a mistake. Far
more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation,
homosexual or transsexual.”
Far more likely? Far more likely that the archeologist
either is looking for publicity or she forgot to check her biases at the door.
Almost all societies did—and do—take burial rites seriously.
I’m not saying that the man in question wasn’t gay. In fact,
we have no idea who he was, what he was, or why he was buried as a woman—and that
is a great plot bunny. As a novelist, I could spin quite a tale about how the
man came to be buried in such a manner. I actually made notes about a man who
attacked the lord’s daughter and was buried in such a manner as an act of
revenge. I haven't written the story yet, but it's fermenting in my mind.
What about you? If you were going to use this incident in a tale, what would be the story behind it?
Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. You can find out more about her books here. Leave a comment for a chance to win one of her books.
That is "Fascinating..." as Spock would say. And I love your take on it, too! Get them fingers a-typin', girl!
ReplyDeleteI just haven't found the right hero yet. I mean, who would take on the heroine's father after that?
Delete"I am Beowulf, and I'm here to slay your monstah..." That kind of a man.
DeleteLOL
This is what it means to be a romance hero! Manly men will do anything for their heroine...including things like face down a homicidal maniac the heroine calls "Dad" -- preferably without a weapon, barefoot, and standing in three feet of snow. ;-)
DeleteExactly!
DeleteI've always believed sexuality -- like so many other things in nature -- exists on a continuum. Homosexuality is nothing new. Among some Indian tribes, for example, gay men were assumed to have a special connection to power -- foresight, healing, and other mystical abilities. Of necessity, such men lived chaste lives, but they were revered. Why people today have reached an arbitrary conclusion that someone else's sexuality is any of their business is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteThat's my bias and probably best left out of the discussion, though. :-D
I love your idea about the lord burying his daughter's attacker as a woman in order to exact revenge. Get busy writing! :-)
Kathleen, I have no doubt there were gay 'cavemen.' In ancient Celtic cultures sexuality appears to have been whatever. I'm here, you're here, let's have some fun. In Greece, it was assumed soldiers had male lovers, and only considered odd when the soldier didn't marry to have children later on. The Roman's didn't see anything wrong with homosexuality, although they had no respect for the man "who played the woman." ha, but never let the facts get in the way of a good story. :-)
DeleteAll Native American tribes have some gay men. They rode their horses backwards, and from what I've read, they were not shunned but accepted just as they did all members. What would I do with this information..nothing?
ReplyDeleteCelia, the man was buried as a woman. I agree that it wasn't an accident -- Oops! That's not Aunt Madge -- and that's what it's stuck in my mind.
DeleteWell now isn't that a fascinating tidbit of ancient history left to fester in the mind of a writer? Oh, the possibilities! This is one of the things I love about what I call the "curse" of a writer's mind. Always working overtime, and one source of mystery from history can inflict an entirely new world yet to be written, and therefore, discovered! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Shayna. Eventually you will read in one of my stories about a man buried as a woman. Don't know when or what story, but I know it'll be there.
DeleteKeena,
ReplyDeleteYour article brings to mind the book/movie "Little Big Man" and the portrayal of the gay Native American character. That was groundbreaking for its time in publishing and Hollywood.
I saw that movie when I was a kid, and remember the man walking backwards, throwing dust on himself, etc. I need to watch that movie again.
DeleteInteresting. I like your spin, though homosexuality has always been part of the scene with varying levels of tolerance/attitude. I'm an anthro/archaeology major and sometimes the leaps made by experts to explain their finds bothered me. People do strange things for strange reasons--that never changes! Thanks for an interesting post, Keena.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the woman chose that particular hypothesis because it would grab headlines. My hypothesis would have been he was transgendered, but at the end of the day there's no knowing.
DeleteAh Keena, what a tale we weave. I've always had issues with historians and archeologist putting current ideolgy on the past.
ReplyDeleteNow if I were to use this as a story, I would have him buried with the things that belonged to a beloved wife who died or disappeared so this was all he had left. Or he was a thief and he...oh well, better stop while I'm ahead. Thank you for a very interesting post. Doris
The possibilities are endless, aren't they? One thing is certain, though, I bet this guy never dreamed we'd be discussing his sexuality 5,000 years later.
DeleteThat's an interesting theory based on pots and pans. I'm thinking of today's famous chefs who are male. Their life's work is with food. So maybe, just maybe, this male found with pots and cooking utensils in his grave just might have been honored in some way for his cooking skills. Maybe he saved the whole village from starvation because he knew things he could forage and cook that had yet to be discovered.
ReplyDeleteIf it was a gay man they found and these things were placed in his grave, who's to say they weren't honoring him instead of mocking him? Maybe he was loved by all the villagers and they wanted to show him they cared by placing his beloved cooking items in his grave.
I love theorizing. It's fun. There are things we will never know.
I've never heard the term "plot bunny" before, Keena. It's cute. I have lots of them that go down that rabbit hole.
All the best to you, Keena.
Oh, Sarah. I love that theory. I hadn't thought about him being a cook. Throughout most of the middle ages Cooks were men. I don't know how that olds up for other eras, but it's entirely possible that cooking was a man's task in those days, too.
Delete