this is driving me crazy...
Recently bethbethbeth asked about novels "you considered to be important in your development." And while I had no idea what to answer in those three fields, that poll made me think about the first more or less feminist sf and fantasy novels I've read as a girl (which were part of a sf/fantasy box set my brother lent me).

And now I vaguely recall this one fantasy novel that I liked a lot and that made a real impression on me, and I'd like to read it again to see how it holds up (like, if I'd still think of it as feminist for example), but of course I can remember neither the title nor the author. And I tried to google for special edition box sets of sf/fantasy literature from the publisher I thought I recalled for the box set, but had no luck with that. *headdesk*

Anyway, unfortunately I don't remember that much from the book (I know I said it made an impression, and it did, I just still don't remember many details). I read it in German, but I'm nearly certain that it was a translation. It was fantasy, but kind of a historical fantasy or imagined history taking place in ancient Mesopotamia. The main theme as I recall it was kind of a culture clash between matriarchal and patriarchal cultures that met in this area in this imagined past, possibly that one was in the city states the other in the less developed surrounding cultures, or the shift from one paradigm to the other, and IIRC it was shown through the protagonist, a woman, who I think made a journey or something, but I'm not too clear on any details. The only other thing I remember is that the Inanna myth played a significant role somehow, which I remember because that book was the first time I heard of her and looked up some stuff about Sumerian mythology.

If anyone could help me find the novel based on this scarce information I'd be really grateful.