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plt25 β Neolithic Memories
Published: 2008-07-19 23:14:16 +0000 UTC; Views: 3222; Favourites: 43; Downloads: 0
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Description
Unia is excited about the upcoming festival, the springtime rites are her favorite. She cannot sleep and so takes a walk to the riverside, pausing a moment by the sacred stone. Will Reksus be there? He promised to bring her a new set of beads for her belt. He has hair that is reddish like some of the newcomers from the north. He speaks incessantly about the sky-gods of his uncle but Unia just laughs and praises the great goddess. Hers is the power to create, and the power to destroy. Sky-gods are well and good, as long as they remember their place.Still. The shrines to the mother have become fewer as the northerners spread. Their noisy war-carts and obsession with war have become a problem.
Unia has faith, however. In the end, though children may leave their mother with brash words and the energy of youth, they always return to her when they have found wisdom...
Sky-gods indeed...what a silly notion.
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Comments: 35
Appreciated! Thanks for stopping by.
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Beautiful, and a lovely background story too.
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Haha, thanks for taking the time to read the story!
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As usual I'm in love with your crisp and clean style ... 
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Yeah, itΒ΄s true, itΒ΄s almost impossible to be "objective". And from the moment you start your studies you are confronted with conflicting theories, prejudices and so on. You are forced to take sites, actually. Typically human.
In archeology classes we learned something about the misuse of archeology in Nazi-Germany, itΒ΄s unbelievable. Of course the time has changed but then again the EU for example supports projects that show how Europe was already a big network of trade in the Bronze Age. I guess there will always be a shade of political influence. What a pity!
Well, actually I have not much to do with Indo-european invasion theories, I stick with the good old linguistics.
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Sounds incredible. Well let me know if any interesting theories or scientific breakthroughs happen. You are my contact in the Indo-European lexicon world!
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Thanks for your explanation!
I totally agree with you on the world being out of balance and the devaluation of women, IΒ΄m a proud feminist. I just donΒ΄t like it when people who call themselves scientists try to project their attitudes and beliefs into history with all means. Especially praehistory, which canΒ΄t defend itself with written material is a popular victim.
I was just confused by the north, I expected east, if it was really Indo-europeans that you meant. But of course they also (probably) came from north-east so...
P.S.: Gimbutas has a theory on neolithic writing???...no comment
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You are absolutely right. Prehistoric people are often co-opted into supporting some cultural or social stance or another. As for projecting attitudes and beliefs into the study of history...you have a point, but is it even possible to not do it? That is the thing about history, it really almost tells you more about the people writing it than it does the people it is writing about. History is constantly changing. The 'truth' of what happened never changes. No theory is a better example of this than the 'indo-european invasion' theory. There is so much cultural bias and viewpoints that it is almost impossible to sort anything out. Anyway, it makes for GREAT fiction! Yes, Gimbutas wrote a book called 'The Language of the Goddess'. It's a bit far-fetched but interesting nonetheless. Her works are very comprehensive if still biased. I'm jealous of all your studies: what is your specialty? I want to know so I can ask you a bunch of questions!
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Beautiful picture. I just love her expression! And again the detail is phenomenol! Like the little story in the artist comments almost as much as I like the picture it goes with
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Wow, thanks! I'm glad you liked the story as well.
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You just keep on improving. I love her expression the most, there's so much thought behind it. That can be hard to achieve! And it's a given that I love her costume, especially the detailed belt.
But that little glimpse into her life was such an interesting read. Sounds like you really know what you're saying there, it's seems so authentic.
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Thanks. I don't have as much time as I used to for drawing but I try to get a picture done every month or so. As for the story, I'm glad you liked it. But it should be taken as a piece of fiction and not an academic point of view. Do you have anything new cooking up over there?
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A drawing a month? That's not a whole lot, what gives? Surely you can strain the imagination muscles just a biiit more, no?
The story fitted perfectly, gave the piece a new perspecive, even though it may not be 100% accurate. Still a great read, gotta love the ancient folks.
Me, I have a few pieces on the cooking stove. One should be ready soon, although I might overcook it. I'm a terrible chef 
Ok, I suck at metaphors. I'm just kinda overthinking my next one. Darn art blocks too! But I have like 3-4 going on now!
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I look forward to seeing your next piece. As for straining my imagination, believe it or not I've been doing more writing than drawing lately.
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Oh, that's good exercise too! Is it a historical piece of fiction of any sort?
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Well I've done a few historical fiction short stories but the big book that I'm proud of is a sort of modern urban fantasy. It was fun to write, though it took me about a year. I would love to do a full length historical fiction...someday.
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Oh, right, that sounds familiar, that big novel of yours, I now remember. You sure are multi-creative, huh? I hope you'll get the motivation and time to do a full length historical fiction in the future.
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Those dang northerners...I just thought it sounded good. Historically, many invasions of central and Mediterranean Europe came from the north and north-east. If nothing else, it would have been difficult for most ancient peoples to invade across the Mediterranean or even through the middle east, given the rugged terrain and powerful cultures therein. That's not to say it didn't or couldn't happen but it seemed likely that major movements from the Asian steppelands would have been easier. Anyway, I should have known better than to try to slip anything by a scholar like yourself...but I love the dialogue!
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Noooo! Marija Gimbutas? Has she written novels? Oo I read about her in my Indo-european linguistics study book, sheΒ΄s an archeologist who suggested the so-called "Kurgan-theory", which says that the Indo-europeans where the people who lived in southern Russia and Ukraine and built these Kurgans (grave mounds). Anywho. She also has this Indo-european = patriarchy, war, sky and native European = matriarchy, peaceful, earth attitude. I mean, obviously those Indo-europeans had a patriarchy and they had a supreme sky god. And also possible that the neolithic native Europeans had a mother goddesss. BUT who says that there had to be a war? That there was this great, evil invasion? Maybe there was just a slow assimilation. And the Natives they had also lots of weapons, who says they were all pacifists? IΒ΄m sorry about this ramble but I just canΒ΄t stand these semi-esoteric generalisations, IΒ΄ve met them too often in my scope.
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Heh, heh, okay. I owe an explanation. You are right about Gimbutas, she is not exactly accepted as academic dogma. That being said, I think she has a few ideas that helped change a field of study that was predominantly male oriented. Sometimes you have to overstate something in order for it to be heard. Her ideas on neolithic written language are a bit far-fetched...but who knows? As for the war, I never said there was one. In fact, I was trying to point out in the story that there was '
Love to chat some more, I'm jealous of your access to new research and information on the subject. As a cultural anthropologist, I tend to look at history from a different angle. I defer to your knowledge in the matter.
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Its a nice little story you added to the piece. I just recently finished the Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton. And the difference in the Indo-european invaders with their father gods and their Patriarchy and the Old tribes who worship the earth Mother are amazing. Unia is off central europe?
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Thanks for appreciating the little story. I have always been a fan of the neolithic, especially the work done by Marija Gimbutas, which I highly recommend. Yes, Central or maybe Eastern Europe is what I had in mind, you are very good! I have never read the Mabinogion Tetralogy, it sounds interesting.
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Marija Gimbutas, I will check that author out.
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Do so, but see my comments for LalaAdenwen for a disclaimer.
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Hey thanks, my work is becoming more and more esoteric as time goes on, which I can't really explain.
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My best guess is that you are becoming more comfortable with yourself as an artist and as a being and this is allowing to reach inward to the more mystic parts of your self that have always been there. But from here I can only guess.
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I would like to believe that you are on the right track. Thanks for the insight.
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