“Marija Gimbutas’ ‘Collision of Cultures’:

the Kurgan Invasions and the End of Old Europe”

Dr. Harald Haarmann and Joan Marler

In this session, Dr. Harald Haarmann and Joan Marler discuss the
significance of the civilization of Old Europe that sustained
peaceful, egalitarian, matristic societies throughout southeastern
and central Europe for three millennia (c. 6500-3500 BCE).  The
arrival of nomadic herders from the Pontic-Caspian steppes created a
“collision of cultures” that caused the destruction of Old Europe,
the spread of patriarchal systems, male dominance, and warfare that
have continued to the present day. The subsequent development of
European societies cannot be fully understood without recognizing the impact of this collision in which certain Old European patterns have remarkably endured.

Dr. Harald Haarmann is a German linguist and cultural scientist who taught and conducted research at a number of German and Japanese universities, and is a member of the Research Centre on Multilingualism in Brussels. He is also Vice-President of the Institute of Archaeomythology, and director of its European branch. Haarmann is the author of more than 40 books in eight languages. His studies on the influence of Old Europen cultures include Myth as source of knowledge in early western thought (2015); Roots of ancient Greek civilization: The influence of Old Europe (2014); Interacting with figurines: Seven dimensions in the study of imagery (2009); and (with Joan Marler) Introducing the Mythological Crescent. Ancient beliefs and imagery connecting Eurasia with Anatolia (2008).

Registration for symposium recordings is now available to the public! Register here.  

To give you plenty of time to view the program at leisure, all sessions will remain available, to those who register, until the end of July 2022.

Performances of Dance, Opera, and Contemporary Song

Our 2021 program is enhanced by the inclusion of performances by  accomplished musicians and composers. We especially want to highlight samples of Lithuanian traditional culture and contemporary performance, of which Marija Gimbutas was justifiably proud. These performances are included during interludes between sessions, and are also available to view at any time in our “On Demand” page which is open to the public.

 Our dancers are from the renowned Lithuanian Folk Dance group “Suktinis.” The director of the group is Giedrė Knieža. The group is the most popular Lithuanian folk dance group in United States, having participated in Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day parade live stage performance twice. Suktinis dancers have been representing Lithuanian culture at Science and Industry Museum events (Chicago, IL) for the last 15 years, among many other performances. We offer you their performance of “Malūnas” (windmill). It was performed at Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival XV in Baltimore.

Giedrė says of this dance, “It is amazing how all the folk dance groups come to the festival and make such a beautiful event in only two days of practice. This time there were around eight hundred dancers performing this dance. “Malūnas” symbolizes change of seasons and never-ending work in the fields in order to get bread on your family’s table. Times were hard for Lithuanians, but they found ways to enjoy and celebrate life with the help of songs and dances.”

We are pleased to include songs from internationally known Lithuanian soloist Nida Grigalaviciute, who currently resides in Chicago. Nida has performed in opera houses across Europe, Israel, and the United States. The songs are from the musical “Šnekučiai.” The first song “Tūkstančiai darbelių” tells how women have lots of jobs around the house since early morning. Women in Lithuania have been singing while working in fields, cooking, working around the house, singing with kids and for kids, as well as wedding celebrations, and so forth. The second song is called “Jau seniai šviesele” – a mother wakes up her kids since the sun has been up for quite some while. Women in Lithuania used to get up with the sun, with the songs of the birds. And again, they would wake up really early since there was always lots of work around the house and in the fields. 

Agne G is a nineteen-year-old award-winning classical artist who has won multiple international performance awards, performed across the United States and Europe, appeared on television, and graced the stage of Carnegie Hall. Agne has won multiple performance awards including “The Baltic Voice” – Lithuania, “Music for Kids” – Romania, as well as “American Protégé” international competition. She has recorded 3 albums to date. Her 2018 release of “A Merry Christmas from the Heart,” produced and arranged by Kc Daugirdas, earned her the Indie Music Channel’s Awards for “Best Teen Artist” and the “Best New Teen Artist of the Year.”

Our thanks to the Lithuanian Foundation for support and to their Director of Cultural Affairs, Giedrė Knieža, for sharing these performances with us for our Symposium.

Registration for this event is now closed.