It has always puzzled me how classical Greek society could be so sexist and at the same time regard female goddesses in such high esteem. Classical Athens, for example, is a textbook example when discussing patriarchal societies, yet elected a female goddess as patron of the city. This fact is not that odd if we think about christianity, which has promoted a traditional sex role for women for centuries and at the same time erected so many sanctuaries to the Virgin Mary all over the world.

But what baffles me is the belief in goddesses that perform tasks and activities which no classical greek woman would have performed in real life in that period, like wearing an armour and fighting (Athena) or hunting (Artemis). I know about the legend of the Amazons, but the fact that someone in that cultural context invented a myth about a legendary army of fierce female warriors living in a distant country actually tells us that this would be considered something wondrous, not something ordinary.

I accept that myths are fantastical in many ways and a lot of unbelievable stuff happens all the time, but if, for example, I wrote a fictional story with a female Pope or a female catholic priest as a character, I would provide the reader with some explanation of why this came to be, I would give at least some backstory, or otherwise this would raise a lot of eyebrows in contemporary audiences.

So, my questions are: did this actually raise some eyebrows, and did thinkers from that period try to explain away this apparent contradiction? Has any classical or hellenistic writer commented about this?

And, finally: could myths regarding female goddesses like Athena and Artemis be remnants from a distant past, in which there existed a Pre-IndoEuropean society in which women did indeed fight or hunt?