ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANCIENT LATVIA
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The Ancient Latvians:
Archaeological Record
ca. 7000 BC - 3000 BC
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According to the late Marija Gimbutas of UCLA in her major work
The Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Old Europe, 1991,
(German version, Die Zivilisation der Göttin),
which covers the archaeology and artifacts known for
prehistoric Europe (including detailed tables and maps),
the oldest and largest known separate human cemetery
in ALL of northern Europe
- dated continuously from ca. 7000 BC to 3000 BC -
was excavated in Latvia in recent years.
The excavations were made at Zvejnieki in northern Latvia by
F. Zagorskis in the 1960's and 1970's and published by him as
"Zvejnieku akmens laikmeta kapulauks", Zinatne, Riga, 1987
(See Gimbutas, p. 144 in the German version of "Civilization").
Significantly, this cemetery is located near the largest lake in Latvia,
known as "The Lake of the Literate Ones",
literally "The Lake of the Lett-erers"
(in Latvian, Burtnieku Ezers).
This places the Latvian cemetary at Zvejnieki on a chronological
par with Catal Huyuk in Anatolia and Jericho in Mesopotamia
(Gimbutas, p. 283) - with one great difference.
Prior to about 8000 B.C. there was apparently no burial of bodies
anywhere in Europe among humans at all - they were probably simply
left out for the vultures or burned. Between about 8000 BC and 6500 BC
at places like Catal Huyuk and Jericho, only the skulls (sometimes all
the bones) of the deceased were buried indoors under the house floor,
and at Jericho, the eyes were replaced symbolically with mussel shells.
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Origins of Mummification?
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In Latvia, for the first time among civilized humans in Europe,
- at least as far as the archaeological record goes -
the entire body (Latvian KERMENIS = body (root of GERMAN?)
is now buried in toto in a separate area set out for this purpose
and the eyes are replaced with pieces of amber.
The skeletons are found buried lengthwise, clothed
in the "cocoon" of animal skins and painted or dusted with ochre
- mummification had to start somewhere - as a means of preserving
the body from decay. The dead are buried together with offerings of
necklaces and amulets made from the teeth of elk, deer, and wild boar.
Later, these amulets and necklaces are also made of the teeth
of the dog, wolf, fox, marten and badger.
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Carved Symbols as First Writing
Concepts of the Soul
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Some amulets are made of pearls or amber,
and some are animal bones sculpted in the form of elk and birds
- the first "symbols" as precursors of writing?
Bird skeletons are found in the graves,
indicating that these were offerings for the deceased,
perhaps to allow the soul to "fly" to heaven.
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Ancient Baltic Culture
Marked by Customs similar to Pharaonic Egypt
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It is not just the Baltic languages which are old,
it is not just the ancient Dainas (Baltic historical astronomical verses)
- more predominant in Latvia than in Lithuania -
which are ancient, but it is now clear
that also Baltic burial customs date far back,
and are very similar to those found in ancient Egypt.
Human reverence for the dead through burial underground
together with offerings for the deceased had to start SOMEWHERE.
Based on Zvejnieki, the oldest known place for this in Europe
- or anywhere on earth - is the Baltic region. Quite a coincidence?
In any case, 7000 BC is a long way back, and few others things
in Europe compare for age. We are talking here about the
OLDEST and LARGEST cemetary in northern Europe.
And we are talking about the beginnings of ancestor worship
in the form of reverence for the dead, which reached its peak in Egypt.
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