The Goddess is the most potent and persistent feature in the archaeological records of the ancient world. She was a symbol of the unity of life in nature, and the personification of all that was sacred and mysterious on Earth. Here, in this pioneering and provocative volume, Marija Gimbutas resurrects the world of Goddess-worshipping, earth-centred cultures, bringing ancient matriarchal society vividly to life. She interweaves comparative mythology, early historical sources, linguistics, ethnography and folklore to demonstrate conclusively that Goddess-worship is at the root of Western civilization. Illustrated with nearly 2000 symbolic artifacts - sculptures, figurines, temple models, frescos, vases, sacrificial containers - Gimbutas' magnum opus is at once a 'pictorial script' of the prehistoric Goddess religion and an authoritative work that takes these ancient cultures from the realm of speculation into that of documented fact.
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"'Gimbutas has not only prepared a fundamental glossary of pictorial keys to the mythology of the otherwise undocumented era of European prehistory, but has established the main themes of a religion in veneration both of the universe as a living body of Goddess-Mother Creatrix and of all the living things within it as partaking in her divinity' - from the foreword by Joseph Campbell"
About the Author
Marija Gimbutas was professor of European archaeology at UCLA. She wrote over twenty books, including Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe.
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30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Although difficult to get through some sections, I found the pictures and graphics wonderful and the undeniable female influence on our earliest history came through without any sexist or biased undertones. Men as well as women would benefit from reading this book, if not from cover to cover at least the high points and the last two chapters. And any mother of a young woman should consider this book for a special gift to her.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Lady One
Format:Paperback
Gimbutas is an extrodenary woman who's research has made an enourmously difference on understanding woman in history and archaeology.She has had made a true difference.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By Le Tigre
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I firmly believe this should be compulsory reading in high schools so that girls build a strong sense of self the same way that boys do so surrounded by the male historic and spiritual values of our modern society.
It is slightly frustrating, to say the least, that thousand year old civilisations centered around feminine spirituality have just disintegrated.
It is slightly frustrating, to say the least, that thousand year old civilisations centered around feminine spirituality have just disintegrated.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating book. A detailed analysis of decorative themes and symbols to be found on ancient sculptures and pottery, relating to the widespread worship of the Mother Goddess in pre-Indo-European Turkey and Europe. A comprehensive explanation of decorative patterns, as important in its own way as the analysis of hieroglyphics. An excellent source book for artists and sculptors.
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