Olga Soffer: The Scientist Who Proved Women Shaped the Ice Age

Olga Soffer, a professor of anthropology who died at age 83, spent her career proving that women played a key role in prehistoric life during the Ice Age. She argued that women made textiles, baskets, and nets as far back as 40,000 years ago. Her work challenged the popular idea that Ice Age societies were ruled by male hunters and gatherers. Soffer's findings changed the way many scientists now think about early human life.

Before becoming a scientist, Soffer had a remarkable life. She was born in Belgrade during the Nazi occupation of World War II and, as a baby, was taken to a labor camp. Her family later settled in Brooklyn, New York, in 1955. She worked at a department store — even hiring a young Brooke Shields as a model — before night classes in art history led her to archaeology.

Her most important discoveries came from ancient sites in Eastern Europe. Starting in 1977, she visited about 30 dig sites, with four standing out: Mezhyrich in Ukraine, Avdeevo in Russia, and Dolní Věstonice and Pavlov in what is now Czechia. At these places, early humans had built tent-like homes out of mammoth bones. Soffer argued that the bones were collected from animals that died naturally, not from heroic hunts.

In 1990, Soffer spotted tiny marks in clay fragments dug up decades earlier at Pavlov. She showed them to fellow archaeologist James Adovasio, an expert in weaving and textiles, who recognized them as impressions of woven threads. Together, they found 79 similar marks among thousands of clay pieces. These showed that Ice Age people made rope, baskets, and cloth from plants — not just animal skins.

Soffer also studied small female figurines found across Europe. Instead of focusing only on their physical features as others had done, she looked at what they were wearing. She found woven hats, skirts, and other clothing items on these tiny figures. She compared the skill of ancient weavers to that of modern designers like Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.

In 2007, Soffer co-wrote a book called 'The Invisible Sex: Uncovering the True Roles of Women in Prehistory.' It argued that history had long ignored women's contributions. She believed crafts like weaving and net-making were invented and carried out by women. Soffer felt that what survives from ancient times is only a small and sometimes misleading piece of the full picture.

Soffer earned her PhD in 1984 and became a full professor at the University of Illinois, retiring in 2008 with many honors. She is survived by her daughter Alex and two grandchildren, Jake and Mena. She is remembered as a trailblazer who gave voice to the women of the ancient world.