We all have heard of the great Viking Age...
and perhaps you have heard of the Roman coined term Germania, a vast territory in Central Europe. But have you heard of the Funnelbeaker culture, that merged both neolithic and mesolithic technologies, especially their unique ceramics, and introducing farming and the domestication of livestock to Scandinavian hunter-gatherers?
This culture existed inbetween 4300 BC and 2800 BC and existed as far north as southern Sweden. They built large cult centers and dolmens for burials, even though the burial practice varied from region to region. These cultures are known as Old Europe, a term coined by Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, and essentially means Pre-Indo-European cultures.
The mysterious script of the Turdaș-Vinča culture dates back to 5,500 and 3,500 BC which spread over Southeastern Europe, and might very well be the oldest script found today. This culture had amazing jewelry and a very skilled craftsmanship. Old Europe is the time between ancient mesolithic and the Bronze Age from 7000 BC to 3500 BC.
The Linear Pottery culture is part of the mysterious Danubian culture and it is believed that the Danube played an essential role in the spread of farming and agriculture further into Europe and is divided into periods of early, middle and late and spread as early as 5700 BC from what today is Hungary into Germany, originating from the Starčevo-Körös culture of Serbia. They grew grains such as Einkorn and lentils for food production.
Here’s an example from the area of southern Germany and my home state Bavarian-Swabia and its history connected to “Old Europe”:
Neanderthals and modern Humans have lived here, as well. Hunter-gatherer cultures and neolithic farming cultures alike.
Six caves in the Swabian Jura Alb region have revealed items dating from 43,000 to 33,000 years ago. Aurignacian layers which date from 43,000 to 33,000 years ago and both Neanderthals and modern Humans have roamed these caves. We know that during the Ice Age, this area was Tundra and not hardwoods forests, it looked very differently than today or 2 000 years ago. The Danube which also flows through southern Germany has played an important role in the pre-historic Danubian Civilization as the first agricultural settlements came from the Balkans into western Europe.
Human settlement in the area of southern Germany has a lot to do with the Neolithic Revolution and the impact of Agriculture on the landscape and its natural ressources. Neolithic settlement started with the Early Neolithic Linear Pottery culture, when Agriculture was introduced. There were other early Neolithic cultures around the German-Swiss border. Lake Constance was an important lake during the Neolithic for fishing and animal husbandry. Out of the Linear Pottery culture from the early Neolithic, cultures like Hornstaad, Rössen, The Stroke-ornamented ware culture (4600-4400 BC from Silesia in Poland into eastern Germany) have followed until the Bell Beaker culture from around 4,500 years ago appeared during the Late Neolithic, a culture which reached into the early Bronze Age. The Bronze Age is when Indo-European languages spread into western Europe. Old Europe marks a shift from hunter-gatherers to the earliest agricultural settlements. This did not only change a way of life, but many cultures as a whole including the crafting of tools, jewelry, pottery, weapons, settlements and first villages.
As most pre-historic types of European cultures, not much is understood today. Most is done via the comparative method along with Archaeological discoveries. We know from Paleolithic Art that there possibly were fertility Goddesses and fertility cults as well as a Mother Goddess, an all encompassing spirit as well as the belief in reincarnation or rebirth. They certainly were not atheistic. I personally have no doubts about the cultures of “Old Europe” being spiritually connected to the land. So, did Paganism start with Neolithic farming civilizations, or Paleolithic hunter-gatherers? Clearly, we are dealing with a Spirituality very ancient. The spiritual practice of Neolithic European cultures such as the Linear Pottery culture and the Funnelbeaker culture is yet to be understood and nothing definite can be said. There are, however, many finds consisting of funeral masks, ritual instruments and sacred ritual sites. I will cover the Spirituality during the Neolithic in my Article “Neolithic Spirits”.
Click here to read more about Old Europe and Neolithic cultures
