Prehistoric religion
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Prehistoric religion refers to hypotheses concerning religious behaviour of the peoples of the prehistoric period and technology
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[edit] Neolithic
Neolithic religion summarily refers to hypotheses concerning religious behaviour of the peoples of the Neolithic period and technology. Our earliest textual sources are rather more recent than this era, dating to the Bronze Age, and therefore all statements about any belief systems Neolithic societies may have entertained are glimpsed from archaeology.
The archaeologist Marija Gimbutas has notably put forward views which describe a matriarchal "Old Europe" set of societies dominated by goddess worship, in particular postulating a bird goddess and a bear goddess. Gimbutas considered the Bronze Age Minoan civilization a native continuation of Neolithic Europe, with the labrys and bull worship continuing symbols of matristic power. Gimbutas' views are popularly repeated in feminism, and were syncretized into Neopagan currents such as Wicca.
[edit] Bronze Age
[edit] Reconstructions
The early Bronze Age Proto-Indo-European religion (itself reconstructed), and the attested early Semitic gods would be presumed continuations of certain traditions of the late Neolithic.
[edit] Archaeology
[edit] Bronze Age Europe
Hints to the religion of Bronze Age Europe include images of solar barges, frequent appearance of the Sun cross, deposits of bronze axes, and later sickles, so-called moon idols, the conical golden hats, the Nebra skydisk, and burial in tumuli, but also cremation (Urnfield culture).
 The Aventon cône, ca. 1500-1250 BC. |
 "fire dogs", dating to the 11th to 9th c. BC, found in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland, kept at the Swiss National Museum. |
 "wheel pendants", dating to the second half of the 2nd millennium BC, found in Zürich, kept in the Swiss National Museum, showing the "sun cross" and variant shapes |
 the Trundholm sun chariot, Nordic Bronze Age, ca. 14th c. BC |
[edit] See also
- Development of religion
- Anthropology of religion
- Sun worship
- Moon worship
- Fire worship
- Bull worship
- Bear worship
- Horse sacrifice
- Ancestor worship
- Religions of the ancient Near East
- circular ditches, Goseck circle
- henge, Stonehenge
- megalithic tomb, tumulus
[edit] Sources
- Marija Gimbutas, The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe (1974)
- Marija Gimbutas, The Language of the Goddess, (1989)
- Marija Gimbutas, The Civilization of the Goddess (1991)
