Over the last few decades, archaeologists and cultural scientists have come to a better understanding of the extent of Neolithic civilisation on the Balkan peninsula. This Danube Civilisation, thriving between the 6th and 4th millennia BCE, was using a writing system long before the Mesopotamians and is remarkable for its accomplishments in craftsmanship, art and urban development. In this book, Harald Haarmann provides the first comprehensive insight into this enigmatic Old European culture, which is still largely unknown to the greater public. He describes the trade routes, settlements, mythology and writing system of this people, traces the changes resulting from the arrival of the Indo-Europeans, and shows how this first advanced civilisation in Europe influenced its successors.

Harald Haarmann (* 1946) is one of the world's best-known linguists; PhD in Bonn, Habilitation (post-doctoral qualification) in Trier. He has been Vice-President of the Institute of Archaeomythology (director of its European office in Finland) since 2003; author of more than 70 books in German and English, some of which have been translated into over a dozen languages. In addition to his study of the Danube Civilisation, he has produced remarkable insights into the roots of ancient Greek civilisation and the early history of Rome. His work has earned him the Prix logos (Paris, 1999), the Premio Jean Monnet (Genova, 1999) for essay writing, and the Plato Award (UK, 2006).

Contents The puzzle of a 7,000 year-old civilisation 1. The transition to the Neolithic in Europe (ca. 75005500 BCE) Early farmers in Southeast Europe The emergence of regional cultures Cultural timeline of Old Europe 2. In search of the Old Europeans The genetic footprint Linguistic traces 3. Commerce and living space Trade routes and commodities Settlements and architecture Religious sites and graves 4. Arts and crafts Weaving and textiles Pottery and firing techniques Metallurgy Art forms and cultural symbols 5. Model of an egalitarian society Matriarchal or matrilineal? Families and clans Oecumene and trade 6. Religion and mythology The world view of hunter-gatherers and farmers Female deities in Old Europe The bull Animal symbols as attributes of the goddess Cults and rituals Music and dance 7. Counting, measuring, recording Numerical signs and numerology Calendrical notation Weights and measures Potter's or ownership marks 8. The invention of writing Origin and development of the Danube script The spread of writing in Old Europe Writing materials, inscriptions and varieties of text The repertory of Old European signs Written legacy of the Danube Civilisation A script in the service of religion The demise of the use of writing 9. The decline and legacy of the Danube Civilisation (from around 4500 BCE) Political and cultural upheavals The Balkan-Ancient Aegean cultural drift Minoan-Cypriot contacts: How Aegean script was exported Epilogue Bibliography Key to inside cover map