Introduction:
Tracing the Old European Heritage
Harald Haarmann and Joan Marler
In her pioneering scholarship, the Lithuanian/American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas has mapped out the multifaceted civilization she addresses as ‘Old Europe,’ and she points to the persistence of Old European patterns into subsequent culture systems. This dimension of her scholarship is reflected in a new domain of scholarly investigation into the beginnings of western civilization. In this Spring 2018 issue of the Journal of Archaeomythology, scholars from Italy, Romania, Finland and Albania, specialized in archaeology, history of religion, linguistics, and culture studies present new insights into processes of cultural continuity, revealing how the achievements of Old Europe have been reworked and transmitted through people’s cultural memory over millennia. Patterns of Old European inheritance have left their imprints over a wide range of cultural developments. In his article, Harald Haarmann discusses governance and gender equality in an egalitarian society (the roots of democracy), then muses on the soundings of the Neolithic spirit in the abstract features of modern art; Marco Merlini traces the influential lineage of pre-Greek Artemis on the establishment of the Orthodox monastic site on Mount Athos; Adrian Poruciuc explores the mythological figure of the Romanian “Wood Mother” as a complex female being whose attributes can be traced to the death-wielding and regenerative powers of primordial Nature honored in Old European symbolism; and Kathleen Imholz uncovers evidence of the survival of ancient traditions in the history and lifestyles of modern Albanians, providing evidence for the oldest layer, which is Old European.