Sometime around 1816, during excavations at Eyjafjörður, in northern Iceland, a small bronze image of a seated male figure was discovered. The object was cast by the "lost wax" process, sometime in the 10th century or earlier, and perhaps had once been gilded. It is 3-dimensional, 6.7 cm. tall. The seated figure appears to be naked except for a conical hat or helmet. His mouth is open, and he grips with both hands two vertical columns that descend from the vicinity of his chin and terminate between his knees in a clover-leaf design.
Fmany years the dominant focus in gender relations has been the differences between men and women. Authors like Chodorow, Gilligan, and Tannen (author of the best-selleror You Just Don't Understand) have portrayed males and females as possessing different traits, styles, and even different languages, viewing these gender differences as deep-seated and enduring.
