The Lost World of Old Europe

The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, a relatively new department at New York University, has a really fascinating exhibition up at the moment of artifacts recovered from the Danube Valley. This "Old Europe" civilization of about 4,000 BC flourished before Egyptians even figured out what a pyramid was, but hasn't been given nearly any scholarly attention so far. This was actually the first time I'd ever even heard of such a civilization.

I haven't been to see the exhibition yet, but the ISAW has a brilliant online exhibition page that serves as a great introduction. It begins with some "burning questions" about the role of women and the practice of destroying their own homes while also introducing a few of the artifacts. There's also a preview of the exhibition catalog, as well as an object checklist that lists everything in the show. I'm particularly interested in the female clay figurines and the animal statuettes. More thoughts to come once I get in to see the show. If you've already been, what did you think?

The Lost World of Old Europe: The Danube Valley 5000-3500 BC runs through April 25th. Details and opening hours can be found here.