ABSTRACT
Between the advent of agriculture, and then more complex societies or civilizations, and the end of the post-classical period in the fifteenth century, two patterns stand out where gender is concerned. The first is the pervasiveness of basically patriarchal systems in culture, in politics and law, and in economic relationships. The second is the variety of specific forms that patriarchy take, whether the focus was personal habits and family arrangements, or more formal definitions in areas like property rights or religious observance. Marco Polo deals with the Mongol rulers of China at that point than with the Chinese, and the Mongols maintained more prestigious position for women. The great missionary religions often played a role that ran counter to the ideas they had generated concerning spiritual equality. Regional diversities continued and would play a vital role in gender issues in the more modern centuries
