The goddesses and gods of Old Europe : 6500-3500 BC, myths and cult images / Marija Gimbutas.

Previous ed. published as : The gods and goddesses of Old Europe, 7000 to 3500 BC. 1974.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 256-269) and index.

Introduction -- Note on Radiocarbon and Dendro-Chronologically Calibrated Dates and the Chronological Tables -- 1. Cultural Background -- The Designation 'Civilization of Old Europe' and its Significance -- Regional and Chronological Subdivisions of Old Europe -- 2. Schematicism -- Shortland -- The Neolithic Artist's Reality-Not a Physical Reality -- The Trend Towards more Naturalistic Sculpture in the Chalcolithic Era -- 3. Ritual Costume -- Decorative Motifs on Clay Figurines as a Reflection of Costume and Ornaments -- 4. The Mask -- Non Human visage -- The Vinca Mask -- Evolution of the Vinca Mask -- Decoration and Perforations for Attachment -- Parallels in Crete and Ancient Greece, and the Theatrical Emphasis -- 5. Shrines and the Role of Figurines -- Clay Models of Shrines -- Remains of Sanctuaries and Sacrificial Places -- Parallels with Minoan-Mycenaean Shrines -- Shrine Equipment and Objects Related to Cult Practices -- Votive Offerings. Inscribed Figurines, Vessels, Spindle-Whorls, and Other Objects -- 6. Cosmogonical and Cosmological Images -- The Four Corners of the World, the Moon and the Bull -- The Snake -- The Primordial Agg -- The Fish -- 7. Mistresses of Waters : the Bird and Snake Goddess -- The Invocation of Rain, The Bear and the Ideograms of the Bird Goddess -- The Meander, Symbol of Cosmic Waters -- The Origin of the Bird Goddess and her ımage during the Neolithic -- The 'Lady Bird' and the 'Lady Snake' of the Chalcolithic Era -- The Snake and Bird Goddness as nurse -- Recapitulation -- The Bird Goddess and Snake Goddess in Minoan Crete and Snake Goddess in Minoan Crete and in Ancient Greece -- 8. The Great Goddess of Life, Death and Regeneration --The Androgynous and Corpulent Goddess with folded arms of the Neolithic Period -- The Chrysalid Goddess with folded arms of the Chalcolithic Period -- The Magical Source of Life within the Goddess : her Mouth, Hands and Eggs -- Recaputilation of Various Aspects of the Prehistoric Great Goddness -- Hekate and Artemis : Survival of the Old European Great Goddness in Ancient Greece and Western Anatolia -- 9. The Pregnant Vegetation Goddess -- The Dot (Seed) and the Lozenge (Sown Field) -- The Enthroned Pregnant Goddess -- The Pig, The Sacred Animal of theGoddness of Vegetation -- Allusions to Demeter, Kore and Persephone in Greek Mythology -- 10. The Year-God -- The Phallus -- The Ithyphallic Masked God -- The Bull with a Human Mask -- Allusions to Dionysus -- The 'Sorrowful God' -- The Divine Child.

European civilization between 6500 and 3500 BC - long before Greek or Judaeo-Christian civilizations flourished - was not a provincial reflection of neighboring Near Eastern cultures but a distinct culture with its own unique identity. The mythical imagery of this matrilinear era tells us much about early humanity's concepts of the cosmos, of human relations with nature, of the complementary roles of male and female. 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-Euopreans. The Goddess incarnating the creative principle as a Source and Giver of All, fertility images, mythical animals, and other artifacts are anlyzed for their mythic and social significance in this beautifully illustrated study.