PREHISTORY

In the beginning....was the Great Mother. Excavations all over Eurasia have revealed countless idols of the Primordial Mother. In Europe these findings range from Laussel (France), the Mother of the Hohle Fels (Germany), Willendorf (Austria) to Dolni Vestonice (Czechia) to as far as Mezin (Ukraine) and Mal'ta (Siberia). They all range from 40.000 to 15.000 years BCE.

OLD EUROPE

How did the Primordial Mother connect to the Great Mother and Her Son/Lovers, who emerged in the Bronze Age (3.000 BCE) in Europe? Until very recently there was a gap between the two. It was assumed that in Europe everything "came from the Middle East". In Europe itself there was "nothing". Thanks to the extensive studies of Marija Gimbutas* this gap has been bridged. It appears that central and southeastern Europe ("Old Europe") had similar developments compared to Anatolia. Hence, there are many findings (a.o. "the Vinca culture": 6.500 BCE) of the Great MotherGoddess and Her Gods. Before exploring it I decided to first investigate the "old paths". So I went to Anatolia

* Marija Gimbutas "The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe", 1974, University of California Press * "The Living Goddesses", 1999 ibid * "The Language of the Goddess", 1989 Thames & Hudson

ANATOLIA

Anatolia is a treasure house with a fascinating natural and cultural heritage. In only three weeks I visited some eight different civilizations, varying from Neolithic, Hittite, Phrygian, Lycean and Greek to Hellenistic, Roman and Christian, and twice as much archeological places. Once you know where you are searching for the findings "are presenting themselves to you". Links between artefacts - their relationship and meaning - could thus easily be made. I am presenting the material not in a theoretical framework, but in sequence of my journey e.g. transmitting to you the treasures as they occurred to me "along the road". Right at the beginning I was granted a great surprise: some Green Men in the Archeological Museum of Istanbul.

MY 2010 QUEST

Istanbul
(Archeological Museum)
Ankara
(Museum of Anatolian Civilizations)
Gordion
Pessinus
Aizanoi
Phrygian Highlands
(Kapikaya/Arslankaya/Aslantas/Ayazini/Midas Sehri/
Village of Han....)
Antalya
Myra
Xanthos
Hierapolis
Ephesos
Didima/Miletos
Aphrodisias
Izmir

*

Güzelçamli

(Places will be linked soon)