2021 Symposium

Wisdom Across the Ages: Celebrating the Centennial of Archaeomythologist Marija Gimbutas

A virtual event

July 16-18, 2021

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

Also, our program recordings will remain accessible for free, to anyone who attended, for 12 months on the symposium website. (You will be asked to sign in using the email on your registration.)

Our online Art Exhibition, “Wisdom Across the Ages” remains open and available until December 31, 2021

Marija Gimbutas’ pioneering scholarship on the earliest horticultural societies focuses on Old European cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean (6500-3500 BCE). She founded a new interdisciplinary field, archaeomythology, which investigates beliefs, rituals, symbols, and social structures of these early societies. The imagery she explored resonates with mysteries of the living world that are described in other indigenous cultures. Archaeomythology is inspiring a new generation of scholars to develop a deeper understanding of past and present earth-based societies. Our ASWM online symposium seeks to expand this understanding by highlighting the voices of First Nations and Indigenous scholars to discuss indigenous, Old European, and other Nature-based cultures. Our program includes: “Celebrating a Great Woman of Science: The Life and Legacy of Archaeomythologist Marija Gimbutas” “Women at the Center: Historic and Contemporary Resonances with Marija Gimbutas’ Work” “Marija Gimbutas’ ‘Collision of Cultures’: the Kurgan Invasions and the End of Old Europe” “Voices from/for the Land: Wisdom of Place and Tradition” “The Human/Animal Connection and Sacred Stories” “The Voice of the Goddess” (film) “Inspired by Marija: Artists, Writers, and Performers Roundtable” “Remembering Marija: Roundtable” “An Exaltation of Goddesses: A Poetry Performance”  

Our 2021 Symposium is presented in cooperation with the Institute of Archaeomythology (IAM). Inspired by the scholarship of Lithuanian-American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, IAM is an international organization of scholars dedicated to fostering an interdisciplinary approach to cultural research with particular emphasis on the beliefs, rituals, social structure, and symbolism of past and present societies. The Institute encourages dialogue among specialists from diverse fields by sponsoring international symposia, by publishing collected papers and monographs, and by promoting creative collaboration within an atmosphere of mutual support. Our thanks to the Lithuanian Foundation for their grant support of our our 2021 Symposium. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing support for initiatives that preserve and foster Lithuanian culture and traditions in the United States, Lithuania, and Lithuanian communities worldwide. Special thanks to Annie Finch and the talented women of the Poetry Witch Community for the performance “An Exaltation of Goddesses.” Annie says the Community “brings together women poets and poetry lovers, feminists, and women-centered spiritual seekers and practitioners from around the world. We practice poetry, scansion, and magic, weave webs of connection and empowerment–and explore the rhythmic languages of poetry and life–so we can learn to craft our lives and words in more joyfully powerful ways.”