Civilization discovered in Europe!

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:50 am

From The Independent, Online version.

Found: Europe's oldest civilisation
By David Keys, Archaeology Correspondent
11 June 2005

Archaeologists have discovered Europe's oldest civilisation, a network of dozens of temples, 2,000 years older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.

More than 150 gigantic monuments have been located beneath the fields and cities of modern-day Germany, Austria and Slovakia. They were built 7,000 years ago, between 4800BC and 4600BC. Their discovery, revealed today by The Independent, will revolutionise the study of prehistoric Europe, where an appetite for monumental architecture was thought to have developed later than in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Full story here:

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/st ... ory=645976

This is worth a trip the area!

MarkB

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:58 am

Very interesting. Odd there's no mention of any writings found. I wonder if there's a connection between these folks and the later migrations into the Balkens which resulted in the "classic" Greeks.

It would be great to find some details about their mythology.
Robert Graves would probably say the generational lifetime of the settlements indicated the Sacred Queen devouring the Sacred King on the First full moon before harvest after she finished bearing children....or some such stuff.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:59 am

MarkB wrote:This is worth a trip the area!

Unlike all that trifling stuff built later than 7000 years ago.

Actually, this is extremely interesting. Thanks for the link!

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:10 am

Y'know, I see the words "Temple" and "Religious", "Monumental", "Sacred", and "Rituals" splattered through the article as if fired from a shotgun at close range.

But I see no evidence whatsoever to support any of it. They even say:

"The multiple bank, ditch and palisade systems "protecting" the inner space seem not to have been built for defensive purposes - and were instead probably designed to prevent ordinary tribespeople from seeing the sacred and presumably secret rituals which were performed in the "inner sanctum" ."

HTF do they deduce that from the remains of "earth and wood" left over from 7000 years ago?

Why do they have to ascribe nutty 'religious' attributes (even talking about a 'network of religious centres') when the simple "fortified village" explanation makes infinitely more common sense and is visible right through the Iron age up to medieval times?

Archaelogists - the best sources a fantasy writer can hope to meet.

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:11 am

Been to Europe many a times, studying art history, seen almost all the old stuff above and below ground that was availbable in Western Europe have yet to do Eastern Europe...someday when there is enough money and time. But would really like to see these new sites.

Mark

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:20 am

Oh...I thought you meant civilization *now*...

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:38 am

In all, more than 150 temples have been identified.

Archaeologists are now beginning to suspect that hundreds of these very early monumental religious centres, each up to 150 metres across, were constructed across a 400-mile swath of land in what is now Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and eastern Germany.

Their civilisation seems to have died out after about 200 years...Why this monumental culture collapsed is a mystery.

They built HUNDREDS of ahem, "temples" up to 150 metres in diameter in about 200 years. I'm guessing they died of exhaustion.

MarkB · Post by **MarkB** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:50 am

GaryKelly wrote:

Y'know, I see the words "Temple"and "Religious", "Monumental", "Sacred", and "Rituals" splattered through the article as if fired from a shotgun at close range.

But I see no evidence whatsoever to support any of it.

I agree! To make such statements and not show proof is a little to much.

MarkB

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:54 am

Martin Milner wrote:They built HUNDREDS of ahem, "temples" up to 150 metres in diameter in about 200 years. I'm guessing they died of exhaustion.

They were doing really well, prospering even, especially the priests with their esoteric rituals in their round Chambers of Things That Must Not Be Seen By Plebs. You wouldn't believe what they got up to in there.

Then some git arrived with tales of how Wimpy's was building 'em in stone across the channel and they realised they'd never be able to meet the proposed new EC building codes.

Plus, it turns out that the Round Temples On the Continent were a full hour in front of Astronomical Standard Time at Stonehenge. Faced with the prospect of having to shift every one of their round chamber poles six and a bit inches to the right simultaneously (after all, it could only be done at dawn on the Summer Solstice), and with the fact that the Men From The Place That Would Become Known As Brussels would be slapping them with planning permission and stone-upgrade orders, they jacked it in and bogged off to warmer climes.

It was a sad day for the Priest-Kings of the Round Temple-Building People, but buggrit, progress is progress after all.

markbell · Post by **markbell** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:11 am

Gary,

That one is worthy of (and might surpass) Douglas Adams!

Thanks for the chuckle.

Mark

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:39 am

Gary, are you sure you've only written technical books in the past? A terrible waste of talent. Get working boyyo.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:40 am

markbell wrote:Gary,

That one is worthy of (and might surpass) Douglas Adams!

Thanks for the chuckle.

Mark

Yeah, I thought about attempting a humorous take on the story, but now... why bother?

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:54 am

GaryKelly wrote: Archaelogists - the best sources a fantasy writer can hope to meet.

That's what I had in mind in reference to Robert Graves. Your next post is much better then Graves however. Just as plausible.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:28 pm

avanutria wrote:Oh...I thought you meant civilization *now*...

Yeah, like Starbuck's and McDonald's.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 3:24 pm

GaryKelly wrote:Y'know, I see the words "Temple" and "Religious", "Monumental", "Sacred", and "Rituals" splattered through the article as if fired from a shotgun at close range.

But I see no evidence whatsoever to support any of it...

HTF do they deduce that from the remains of "earth and wood" left over from 7000 years ago?

I know. The Gods must be Crazy.

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