Synopses & Reviews
In this beautifully illustrated study of sculpture, vases, and other cult objects portraying the Goddess, fertility images, and mythical animals, Marija Gimbutas sketches the matrilineal village culture that existed in southeastern Europe between 6500 and 3500 B.C., before it was overwhelmed by the patriarchal Indo-Europeans. The analysis of this rich mythical imagery tells us much about early humanity's concepts of the cosmos, of humans' relations with nature, and of the complementary roles of male and female.
Synopsis
Gmbutas sketches the village culture that evolved in southeastern Europe before it was overwhelmed by the patriarchal Indo-European culture.
Synopsis
Through study of sculpture, vases, and other cult objects from southeastern Europe, Gimbutas sketches the village culture that evolved there before it was overwhelmed by the patriarchal Indo-Europeans. The goddess incarnating the creative principle as Source and Giver of All, fertility images, mythical animals, and other artifacts are analyzed for their mythic and social significance in this beautifully illustrated study.
Synopsis
"A magnificent study."--Joseph Campbell
"This splendidly illustrated book brings together an archeological documentation hardly to be found elsewhere."--Mircea Eliade
About the Author
Marija Gimbutas (1921-1994) was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Curator of Old World Archaeology at what is now the Fowler Museum of Cultural History. Her book The Living Goddesses (California, 1999) was published in April 1999.