Prompt Cast
The Ancient Neolithic Civilization of Serbia: Uncovering a Forgotten Past
TLDR Excavations in Serbia have revealed evidence of a sophisticated Neolithic civilization dating back 7000 years, predating well-known civilizations such as Troy and the Greeks. The discovery of symbols on tablets from the village of Tatarje has sparked debate among archaeologists and scholars, with some suggesting that they could be an early form of writing.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Serbia is claimed to be the birthplace of the first great European civilization, with evidence suggesting it was the home of the first written language and urban settlements.
04:22
Serbia's first and greatest archaeologist, who was a museum director and professor of archaeology, conducted excavations at a village called Vintja and discovered traces of an incredibly sophisticated civilization at the bottom of a mound.
08:34
Excavations in Serbia have revealed evidence of a sophisticated civilization, with settlements centered around Serbia and reaching as far north as the Aegean, but the exact time period of these settlements is still uncertain.
12:36
Excavations in Serbia have revealed a Neolithic civilization dating back 7000 years, earlier than Troy, the Greeks, and the Sumerian and pharaonic civilizations, with evidence of intensive agriculture, settlements, industry, and the world's oldest securely dated evidence of copper smelting.
16:47
The Finca culture in Serbia may have developed writing, as evidenced by the symbols found on ceramics and figurines, including tablets from the village of Tatarje that appear to form a form of writing and date back to around 5,500 BC, predating Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs by about 2000 years.
21:03
The authenticity and meaning of the symbols found on the Tatarje tablets in Serbia, which could potentially be a form of early proto writing, is still a subject of debate among archaeologists and scholars, with Serbian nationalists strongly advocating for their significance and even claiming that they are a form of proto Serbian.
25:13
The oldest known sentence in human language, "the bear goddess and the bird goddess are the bear goddess indeed," is interpreted by Professor Toby Griffin as a reference to the figure of Artemis and is seen by Maria Gimbutas as evidence of a matriarchal and goddess-centered culture in old Europe.
29:10
The collapse of the venture culture is attributed by Maria Gimbutas to the Indo-Europeans, who are believed to have come from Ukraine and destroyed the peaceful, matriarchal civilization with their patriarchal and violent ways, although this interpretation is seen as wish fulfillment by some.
33:01
The hosts discuss the lack of conclusive opinions on the Neolithic civilization in Serbia, its lack of recognition, and the mystery surrounding its disappearance, as well as the theories proposed by scholars.
Categories:
History
