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Marija Gimbutas

Marija Alseikaitė Gimbutas

The Language of the Goddess Paperback – February 1, 2001

by Marija Gimbutas (Author), Joseph Campbell (Author)

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"The first authoritative work on the ancient goddess culture."—Boston Globe

The Goddess is the most potent and persistent feature in the archaeological records of the ancient world, a symbol of the unity of life in nature and the personification of all that was sacred and mysterious on earth.

In this pioneering and provocative volume, Marija Gimbutas resurrects the world of the Goddess-worshipping, earth-centered 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 2,000 symbolic artifacts, 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. Over 500 illustrations.

Print length

424 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Thames & Hudson
Publication date

February 1, 2001
Dimensions

7.36 x 9.13 inches
ISBN-10

0500282498
ISBN-13

978-0500282496
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The first authoritative work on the ancient goddess culture. -- Boston Globe

About the Author

Marija Gimbutas was Professor of Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a prolific author of books on prehistory and archaeology.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thames & Hudson; 1st edition (February 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 424 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0500282498
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0500282496
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.07 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.36 x 9.13 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #280,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #193 in New Age Goddesses (Books)
- #521 in Archaeology (Books)
- #665 in Comparative Religion (Books)

Customer Reviews:
91 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		84%
4 star		9%
3 star		2%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Leo Bellew

An Amazing Book

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2011

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I'm glad I got the hardback version. The images are just beautiful, but actually the most impressive element is the organization and presentation. There is a lot of material here. Marija organizes it into categories that are easy to wrap one's mind around, even just leafing through it (all I've been able to do right now). For example, it is exciting to learn that the snake coil was possibly used for time reckoning in the 4th millenia B.C. Ireland, when I know that on the walls of the Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, USA, there is a snake coil that is most definitely used for time reckoning by the ancient people who lived there. At Chaco, you can watch the slivers of light follow the wandering cycles of the Moom, precisely, as well as the more direct yearly cycle of the Sun. (see [...] ). As another example, Marija shows us a snake design on the side of a vase that coils in but then turns around and uncoils back out. It looks like it symbolizes regeneration. This pattern is also an ancient folk dance from Europe where you hold belts in a line, coil in and then uncoil out so as to be looking at the people on the end still coiling in. We still do that dance today. Interestingly, it always had a feel akin to regeneration or rebirth as you come out of the coil; that without having any idea of this kind of symbology. Discovery is always fun, and I expect I will be enjoying that for years from this book. Thank you, Marija.

20 people found this helpful

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Francie

Unique power of the feminine.

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2018

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Maria G makes folklore and mythology dance alive through the annals of known time directly into unfathomable pre-history.
She envelops us in a conscious and conscientiously conceived, irresistible tribal dance across the pages.
We know Her by name. Only a fool dares to deny the power.

3 people found this helpful

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HeathenMommaShops

Great read in text book form

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2018

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Reads like a text book. Book itself was advertised as used and acceptable. That was true. Some dog eared pages, some minor marks; perfectly readable, looks well loved.

4 people found this helpful

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Ruth Henriquez Lyon

beautiful collection of ancient European images and symbols.

Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2000

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"The Language of the Goddess" is a must-have for anyone interested in symbolism and imagery, as it presents some of the oldest decorative markings ever scratched into stone, bone, and wood. Most of the images, reproduced in line drawings and black-and-white photos, are taken from Neolithic European village sites dating back as far as 7,000 B.C. Thus they are, for the most part, a product of agricultural cultures. However, there is a striking similarity between some of these marks and those found on relics from Paleolithic hunter-gatherer sites, examples of which appear in this book.

The link between the images from Neolithic and Paleolithic sites arises at least in part from those cultures' shared worship of the Goddess. In the text accompanying the images, Gimbutas tries to reconstruct the world-view of the European Goddess-centered people. She works by inference, looking at various found objects and their markings--not just in their historical context but also in relation to each other.

For instance, in her chapter entitled "Net Motif," she writes, "Signs associated with the framed net -- parallel lines, zig-zags, tri-lines, M's, and chevrons -- place it within the aquatic symbol family. . .the framed net also appears with symbols of becoming: egg, vulva, uterus, fish bladder forms, and plant leaves. This implies that the net is linked with aqua-cosmogony, the life source, and the birth of human, animal, and plant life. . .in other words, it must have been a symbol of the "water of life" well known to us from myths. The net design. . .probably emphasizes the life-giving power of the Goddess."

It is interesting that we still speak of "the web of life," and the "interconnectedness of all beings." The web is an ancient image, and just one of many in the book that readers can recognize as still resonating for us now. Some other images which Gimbutas presents are Meander and Water Birds, Streams, Tri-Line and Power of Three, and Deer and Bear as Primeval Mothers.

This book is wonderful for textile artists, potters, painters, or poets - indeed for anyone interested in drawing inspiration from the furthest reaches of human history. These are powerful symbols for study, which come alive when given careful attention.

105 people found this helpful

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harry schultze

Awesome book

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014

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This book is a revelation. We were once a peaceful egalitarian society, a matriarchal society. No one wanted for anything. Everyone was equal and we took care of one another and lived in harmony with mother earth. The patiarchal society that has taken over by force has given us the complete perversion of society. We have poverty, an every man for himself attitude. War and mass hatred. We decide things through violence and arrogance with a complete disregard for nature as well as our fellow human beings. This is the Kurgan mans society at its finest. We would be astronomically better off had we remained as a nurturing matriarchal society. We had our heritage taken from us by evil self-serving men. And so it go's.

11 people found this helpful

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TJ

Amazing Academic Work

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2013

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Incredible research and documentation of Goddess worship and matriarchal perspective of ancient cultures. Quite telling is what these ancient societies did not have - weapons of mass destruction, handcuffs, prisons, instruments of torture - you get the idea - nothing that modern society can fathom being without.

8 people found this helpful

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bj

marija gimbutas is my heroine

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2020

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this book (and marija) is referenced by most all of my favorite authors - beautiful and compelling - a must read

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Kindle Customer

I disagree with some of the author's conclusions, however ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016

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I disagree with some of the author's conclusions, however, the reproductions the ancient European art work alone is reason enough to own this book.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

heather charnley

Gimbutas Goddess book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2019

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This is a very valuable book to have on the goddess culture from around the world, covering the archaeological point of view towards the subject, with so many images to supplement information given. Highly recommendable.

Trevor Sproston

Understanding the Mother Goddess

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2012

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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.

4 people found this helpful

Leena H.

Thorough research about the oldest European artifacts -pot decorations, ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2016

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Thorough research about the oldest European artifacts -pot decorations, figurines, cave paintings - we have found on earth and conclusions about the cultures that have produced them. Lots of illustrations and b/w photos. The goddess theme in one of the themes that has been followed throughout the book.

2 people found this helpful

HoCheeZen

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2016

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Very interesting and informative thesis.

Amazon Customer

A true masterpice!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2017

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This is a true masterpiece! I lack word to express my great admiration and bow my head in reverence for its creator, the brilliant master Marija Gimbutas!

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