Europe’s First Roots: Female Cosmogonies before the Arrival of the IndoEuropean Peoples

Abstract

There is a hidden history of Europe, which is far earlier than the Indo-European history of public konwledge and education. Archaeological, mythological and linguistic evidence point to a matrilineal society, which honoured the place of women, was based on a partnership between women and men, and lived in accord with its natural environment. I find in this early history a cause of hope for Europe’s present and future. If Europeans can learn from this diverse and non-militaristic distant past, which has been repressed but not destroyed, there is hope that we can develop models of society based on partnership rather than dominance.