Sacred Pleasure

A cultural historian explores the forgotten links uniting human sexuality, ancient spirituality, and the roots of social power.

Drawing on findings from archaeology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, the investigation traces Western cultural development from prehistoric cave sanctuaries to the modern era.

Eisler contrasts fear-based dominator hierarchies with the egalitarian partnership alternatives evidenced by early agrarian civilizations.

The study examines ancient religious iconography to explain how sacred communion was historically replaced by institutionalized pain.

Riane Eisler shows us how history has consistently promoted the link between sex and violence—and how we can sever this link and move to a politics of partnership rather than domination in all our relations.
Prehistoric Sacred Art: Archaeological excavations at Çatal Hüyük and across Old Europe uncover birthing shrines, vulva altars, and communal frescoes that honored the creative powers of nature rather than armed conquest.Myths of the Sacred Marriage: Sumerian cuneiform hymns of Inanna and the biblical Song of Songs reveal early liturgies celebrating erotic ecstasy and agricultural renewal before pastoral incursions militarized ancient deities.The Politics of the Body: Classical Athenian legal statutes and medieval theological treatises institutionalized male dominance by redefining the human body as carnal, dangerous, and subject to authoritarian control.Evolution of Human Sexuality: Biological studies of nonseasonal sexual responsiveness, bonding neuropeptides, and primate social systems show that mutual pleasure and empathy serve vital cooperative evolutionary functions.Also by This Author: The Chalice and the Blade.