Cucuteni-Trypillia Culture | Ancient European Civilization

[@DanDavisHistory]

I hope you enjoy this video in the People of the Bronze Age series. Watch the next episode in this series here on the Maykop Culture of the North Caucasus: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6rGap2uibWNlbc The full playlist can be watched here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZLPi3-licqIbZY

[@yungpep]

Might end up watching all your stuff today, brilliant content 👌

[@prasadgolatkar7961]

Nicely presented.

[@PrivateSi]

Ancient Europe - Same problem as modern Europe except the Great Replacement is actively organised by European Leaders themselves, now-a-days... Certainly plenty of Steppe People invading Little England.

[@waynemcleod6767]

Good video. Pretty sure 1 ha = 10,000 square meters and is equivalent to approximately 2.471 acres (not 100m sq).

[@JIJICA100]

Dan, what do you think about David Graeber's, Dawn of Everything? I thought it brought many interesting facts and interpretations about prehistory and he talks exensibly also about the Cucuteni culture

[@Deeplycloseted435]

This is the stuff I like to see. So many “Bronze Age” videos only discuss the wars, the kings, and the assassinations. We never learn what the lives of the people were like.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you.

[@climateguy2488]

Well said

[@ellidominusser1138]

Nah in school all I learned was how they lived and their culture, nit once have I heard about even one war in the bronze age so I'd be interested

[@maxi979]

maybe this is why I don't like Taiwan's history classes?

[@nazareno.d.ulvedal]

Don't forget that a lot of them are baiting with history to spread alien theories.

[@wallabumba]

"Their hearts truly lay in peace and quiet and good, tilled earth." Excellent Tolkien quote. I approve.

[@ogsus5773]

i just got to that part and had to check the comments lol. just discovered this channel (very impressed!) and this sort of detail just gives it more personality. and i'm all for it. love it.

[@prayermanone]

The villages look almost like modern subdivisions in a small rural community.

[@JustMe-ob7lu]

I was born in Suceava, North East Romania.. I still can find little things associated with these people. My town was built in a kind of circle, quite different to the other parts of Romania. Dancing in a circle, different to west Romania. The pattern of the pottery is still present on the folkloric dresses. And so on. This is so fascinating how we all evolved. Thanks for all your videos

[@9pm_507]

I'm from Rep. of Modl. and I can say the same. The way the houses in the villages are/were built, with two floors, with a kind of small balcony, the ornaments can also be found, especially in the way the gates and fences are decorated, looks incredibly similar to what was done in this territory 5 thousand years ago. stability!)

[@Echinacea_purpurea]

100%! Also in Ukraine. Cities were transformed into a more stable and progressive economy - rural.

[@neamtz]

and then the Dacians came from somewhere in modern day Iran and ruined everything 😂

[@JustMe-ob7lu]

@@neamtz wie meinst du das, Neamț?

[@vladgetu]

@@neamtzso they say 😅 mazakukers

[@huskytail]

We still dance in circles on the Balkans, it's so primal and natural. You get into a sort of a trance-like state. You feel the bodies of the others, their movements. On a side note, I think many archeologists don't know much about the symbolism of the old pagan-like rituals to look into them for the meaning of the figurines. I don't say that I know what they were, but it's a little bit simplistic to always think about a mother earth goddess, while reality could be a much more complex affair.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Amazing that people can carry on traditions that date back so many thousands of years. This circling is thought to have been quite slow and steady and as you say it brings about an altered state. It must be incredibly powerful. And I agree that reconstructing the ancient belief systems is the most difficult and the most intriguing aspect. That's my primary focus.

[@huskytail]

@@DanDavisHistory yes, our dances can be very slow and the bodies extremely close and interwoven, but also very fast, often the two are alternated. They are used for everything, literally. I find it fascinating too how humans can preserve such traditions but on the other hand, they are so powerful and primal, it's difficult to let them go. Btw, it's the same with the figurines. I know of so many ways of using figurines in healing, weather spells or personal spells/rituals in Bulgaria, that it just irks me to hear how little is considered in modern science. Btw, huge thank you for your videos and research and the beautiful way you present everything.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you so much, that really means a lot.

[@AmandaSamuels]

Apologies for making a pedantic point but the Cucuteni Tripolye culture area is not in the Balkans. The culture may have had links to various Neolithic cultures situated in the Balkans but it wasn’t in the Balkans itself.

[@huskytail]

@@AmandaSamuels I am Bulgarian, as I stated in my other comment, I know where the Balkans start and end, both definitions. This has nothing to do with my point though. I am not pretending that this specific culture is some kind of direct ancestor to the current Balkan ones, it would be ludicrous. But humans have fortunately retained in our corner of the world quite a lot of ancient rituals that are close to the those we have some pottery remains from, and that happen to be from this culture specifically.

[@tudorbordeianu4524]

Imagine the quality of the pots they made, after 7000-5000 years, some were found intact and the colours are still very much visible.

[@eeaotly]

Indeed. Two years ago I have received a mug as a gift. It was a brand new film "memorabilia", original artwork and - supposedly - high quality. It has become my favourite and my most used mug. I drink teas or coffee from it at least once a day. Guess what? The colour of the interior has already changed in certain areas due to frequent use and constant cleaning. I guess that it will not last for 1000 years...

[@TheBreechie]

if if makes you feel a little better, most of the slips and paints used were toxic. They often contained Lead, Mercury, arsenic, and other awful things. Also, when firing pottery, it wasn’t unusual for ancient people to coat the entire item in animal dung to ensure it fired at a red hot heat….. another thing to consider it that vessels weren’t washed as frequently as they are now and they certainly didn’t use the products we use to wash things and we know that chemicals will fade colours… There are plenty of ancient pots show stains inside from the products within them. If you’re drinking coffee or tea then you need to realise both contain tannic acids, at an average of 4-12%…. Lastly, is your cup made of pottery or is it ceramic? I think it’s likely to be ceramic given its film memorabilia, in which case what you report is entirely expected of the product, whatever the supposed quality. I also don’t believe it would be of very high quality to be honest with you, it’s memorabilia and that shit is churned out cheaply with very high price tags and fancy promises that don’t hold water

[@CarlosCruz-ci9xo]

@@TheBreechie Okay but you popped off tbfh

[@abruemmer77]

I'd guess a lot of pots were broken when found and later reconstructed or repaired for exposition.

[@michaelbread5906]

​@abruemmer77 it was Link, duh.

[@seaxofbeleg8082]

They loved `peace and quiet and good tilled earth'. In other words, they were hobbits. :P

[@DanDavisHistory]

That's the vibe I get for sure.

[@jandavidson7093]

The EEF (Early European Farmers, of which the Cucuteni folk descend) were smaller and overall more gracile than the tall, robust steppe folk, so yeah, Hobbitses.

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

Why then the walls around the town's?

[@DanDavisHistory]

The walls came in the later part of their civilisation when they came into contact with the steppe herders of the east across the Dnieper who began raiding the vulnerable towns. This is when ditches start being built and then the enormous settlements begin with the outer houses joined side by side. People clustered together for defence against the raiders. But ultimately it wasn't enough.

[@DanDavisHistory]

They weren't that small! 😂

[@damnhitsuzen]

History geek from Ukraine here, thanks for an interesting video! I had a pleasure once to work at archeological site, digging up a Trypillia hut and uncovering its upper layer. It was a summer high school gig, so I just did a lot of digging and even more of careful dust brushing for the real experts. But damn it was a thrill to find some pottery shards and know you might be the first person to see them in thousands years.

[@superhond1733]

Are you still in ukraine?

[@KasumiRINA]

@@superhond1733 Western Ukraine is very far from frontlines, there's still ballistic missiles and drones flying every other day, i.e. yesterday Odesa was attacked with hundreds but further from shore it's mostly safe. Everyone is affected by the war since 2014 though.

[@svenzebs1808]

I was shocked when I saw 6000+ years old artefacts in Piatra Neamt museum.. they looked amazing

[@helendietrich7566]

Wow! What a great lecture! Very thorough and with lots of great examples. In Ukraine, we learn about Trypillian culture in school. Plus, there is usually at least one school trip to a local museum that usually has some ceramics or at least mentions the culture (if you are from the area, of course). But I was surprised to discover that almost no one knows about it in the west! Later I understood that it was because of the separation of Soviet and Western archeology that you've mentioned. An interesting fact is that Vikentiy Khvoika, an archaeologist who discovered and studied Trypillina culture, actually was a teacher who lived in Kyiv. When he accidentally discovered the remains of an old home at some construction site near his house, he was so impressed that he decided to dedicate his life to studying these remains and eventually became an archeologist.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you for watching and for your comment. It's great that they teach you the history of your land at school.

[@katerynarusakova6176]

@@DanDavisHistory thank you very much. I graduated school in Kyiv in 1995 and we didn’t learn anything about this culture. I am glad that the new generation has an opportunity to learn the true history of their land.

[@amyhayutin1738]

@@DanDavisHistory I teach in the USA and have never heard of this! I will read the book you mentioned and thank you so much for the information. We do teach about the ancient people of our own land. As the descendants of these people, Native Americans, still struggle to be treated equally in our current culture, I feel we don’t teach enough. I am curious why you chose to show a photo of Clint Eastwood looking smug when you mentioned Goddess culture? You talked about this culture being peaceful and eventually being overrun. Yes, sadly, just like Eastwood, the masculine, gun-toting males are still making our planet a tough place to thrive. I say, let’s get back to Goddess culture!

[@ihtac]

@@amyhayutin1738 so much destructive ideology in your words, I'd better keep my kids away from such teachers.

[@mikkirurk1]

Your story is similar to mine - I've learned about this culture in school and university, also was brought to a museum by our philosophy teacher, to see the remains of that mighty lost civilization. It's funny how little we hear about it nowadays. Слава Україні!

[@olmaned3795]

There's a Cucuteni festival in Iasi - Romania, where craftsmen come and bring traditional Romanian potery, clothing etc, and it's really striking how similar the decorative styles are to those of the people from the Bronze age.

[@valevisa8429]

Nothing striking there,today's potters just copy the old ones.

[@eeaotly]

@@valevisa8429 Actually, it's both. It's called continuity. Just like the use of wheel...

[@valevisa8429]

@@eeaotly Mira-mas sa fie continuitate.Uita-te ce se intampla in ziua de astazi,unele obiceiuri si datini pier intr-o singura generatie.Sunt martor ocular in satul in care m-am nascut.

[@yaqubebased1961]

Romanians are not indigenous to Europe tho

[@vargvikernes8357]

@@yaqubebased1961 what?

[@derrickbonsell]

This is the sort of culture that would be a great influence for anyone interested in writing a Bronze Age style society for their epic fiction.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Indeed!

[@tedarcher9120]

That's... Why I'm here

[@dontchewglass]

@@tedarcher9120 BRO SAME lets gooooo

[@immortaljanus]

You got me. :D

[@zaraiwzara]

@@DanDavisHistory i think those recently discovered proto-civilizations show how little we know about the human history, there could be majestic civilizations bigger and more developed than the well known egyptian, chinese, sumerian, olmec and minoan-mycenean cultures/societies in the amazon, or siberia, or even empires as great as the romans or the inca tens of thousands of years before the known agricultural revolution

[@bc7138]

I had no clue that such an urbanised group existed in that part of the world that long ago. I had always thought, based on Greco-Roman histories, that the steppes of the Ukraine and the Danube frontier were home to nothing but isolated and primitive nomadic tribes of horse warriors like the Scythians. To think that such an advanced urban culture existed in the same territory thousands of years earlier is amazing. Thank you for such an interesting, eye-opening, and informative video.

[@DanDavisHistory]

It is amazing isn't it. There was another urban (ish) society that developed over a thousand years later further east on the steppe. The Sintashta culture (descended from the Corded Ware people who were in part descended from European Farmer type people) constructed the bronze working town of Arkaim. Nowhere near as big as these vast Cucuteni settlements (and unlike the Cucuteni they were *heavily* fortified), there were maybe 20 or 30 of these towns right on the other side of the steppe by the Ural River. They were ruled over by the chariot-driving heavily armed warrior elites of that culture, hence the need for powerful fortifications where they did their bronze working to make their weapons. I'll make videos about that in the future.

[@bc7138]

@@DanDavisHistory Looking forward to seeing it!

[@Kenshiroit]

to be fair those advanced cultures you mention, they were extinct at the time of the Romans.

[@kesorangutan6170]

I agree this is amazing but calling nomads of eurasian steppe "primitive" is super wrong. Nomads weren't primitive and they had complex societies. For instance these so called "primitive" scythians used composite bows, they were awesome craftsmen and they farmed the land not just grazed animals. Also there were cities and towns in those regions. Not just greek colonies but Dacian, Sarmatian, Bastarnae and Scythian towns aswell.

[@zuzudernegger9721]

Where do you think the Hellenes and the Romans came from :) In any case the Greco-Roman civilization was closer to our time/us than it was closer to these ancient civilizations.

[@arecestravi]

I grew up in the Wild Fields near the north of the Black Sea, and in Bessarabia where Ukraine, Moldova and Romania meet. So I am always happy to see that more and more people learn about Trypilla-Cucuteni. Let us not be called their direct descendants, but they are special for us. Even at school, in history lessons (when you think more about lunch than education), you understand that this is a very cool civilization. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with the heritage of Trypilla-Cucuteni culture in Romania and Moldova, but I am going to catch up on this while traveling there. * As a Ukrainian, I can advise you one more ancient place associated with many civilizations of our territory - Kamyana Mohyla. Unfortunately, few translations about this place reach the English speaking world, but it's super cool. A magical, special, controversial place. A place of worship, rest and meeting for hundreds of generations of all who passed the Great Steppe. * By the way, the entrance to the territory of the museum and the reserve with a guided tour is very cheap even for Ukraine. Soooooo we invite everyone. It was so difficult for me not to buy all the souvenirs and books of their museum at the same time. They have wonderful mini-figurines of kurgan stelae\ stone babas.

[@ВладиславВладислав-и4ю]

Кам'яну Могилу окуповано зараз?

[@ВладиславВладислав-и4ю]

@@ihtac як звичайно. Половину знищать, половину вивезуть.

[@arecestravi]

@@ВладиславВладислав-и4ю на жаль, так, вона під Мелітополем. Є чутки, що вона навіть замінована. Згадуючи рідний мені Херсон, його музеї та бібліотеки боюся навіть думати, скільки всього вкрадено з музею і території. Втім, сподіваюся, що її розміщення "на відшибі" не надто вабить окупантів. Головне, щоб сама пам'ятка і люди там не постраждали. З сучасними технологіями відкривається стільки можливостей дослідити її на нових рівнях. Бережу сам в евакуації книжки і маленьку кам'яну "бабу", щоб приїхати після звільнення і привітати музей знову.

[@ВладиславВладислав-и4ю]

@@arecestravi треба, що увесь світ знав, як русня краде в українців культурні пам'ятки.

[@og4910]

​@@arecestravi Курви, хай їм Кам'яна Могила поперек горла стане і вони там своє прокляття і смерть знайдуть, кляті ординці.

[@Kaiba88]

I am from the Republic of Moldova and I affirm all this, indeed not far from my home or found many old artifacts from the time cucuteni-tripoli, thank you

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

When you mentionned their possible textiles works, I let out an audible cry of sadness. Imagine all the absolutely stunning things this ONE culture could have made - then imagine all the other cultures we'll never know about. We haven't the faintest idea how much beauty our species might have produced since the dawn of our minds - and so much of it is lost. It's a strange kind of sadness.

[@damionkeeling3103]

My grandmother's generation did a lot of knitting. Often they pulled apart woollen clothing they'd made years later to reuse the wool. Some things last a long time, many others don't.

[@stephenodubhlaoich]

And something I find very suspicious is how during wars there is always some ancient artifacts being destroyed or stolen too

[@DorchesterMom]

Hierath

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

@@DorchesterMom Yep. Exactly. Something along those lines. ✌️

[@KasumiRINA]

@@damionkeeling3103 and clay tablets or wax would be reused same way our ancestors replaced a football game with a TV show on those video tapes.

[@andersschmich8600]

I also first heard of them in David Anthony's book, its really amazing that at around 4000 BCE their settlements were bigger than those in Mesopotamia and the Levant.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Yeah it's amazing isn't it. Anthony believes they grew like this due to the proximity to and threat of the steppe herders. Maybe so. The Mesopotamians also had to contend with wild raiders coming out of the Zagros and Caucusus.

[@andersschmich8600]

@@DanDavisHistory That seems plausible. It definitely is an interesting what if. Could these early Balkan farmers have developed a writing system and real urban centers? Would we today be talking about their king lists and early myths? Obviously it did'nt work out that way, but its interesting to speculate.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Yeah there is a kind of proto script in this region actually, although as is always the case with this sort of thing it's a controversial subject. It's called the Vinca Script or Old European script. Or Vinca "symbols" by the skeptics. I have no opinion on the subject but it is interesting. I do wonder if they had the potential to become something like a Sumeria or Egypt and just needed more time or if they did have something lacking. Not enough hierarchy maybe. A fascinating "what if" for sure.

[@andersschmich8600]

I've heard of the Vinca script, can't say I know much about it either though. I find the cultures of "Old Europe" to be super interesting. I'm hopefully attending a history MA program in Ireland next fall, and want to focus on how ancient and medieval writers viewed the relics of much older peoples, such as Stonehenge and New Grange.

[@DanDavisHistory]

That's an amazing subject and something I'm very interested in. We see it time and again in the British Isles where the monuments of earlier people are appropriated by the later people. This is one reason archeologists often assumed demographic continuity but we now know there was a large population turnover and yet the new people use the older monuments but in new ways. Bronze Age burials around Neolithic megalithic sites. And into historical times we see Saxons using ancient monuments as special, even sacred meeting places. And folk tales tell of the fairies and other creatures that live on the mounds or elsewhere in the ritual landscape. Anyway, it's completely fascinating and I wish you all the best with your Masters.

[@heeroyuy298]

It's neat to find a popular channel before it's popular. Great video, loved it, really opened my eyes to an under-appreciated portion of history. As a person of european descent, it always struck me as odd that my ancestors were just doing nothing for so long, but it appears that wasn't the case.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you very much, I hope we do get popular, that would be great. And I agree with you, the more I learn about the European Neolithic the more I admire them and want to know more.

[@ShamanKish]

@@DanDavisHistory Give us more of this. Do you know about Vinca (Vincha) proto-alphabet? Compare it to Phoenician alphabet. It is said that Pelasti, who lived in the Balkans before and with Greeks, founded a colony Philistine (Palestine) and brought this alphabet with them. Almost all European alphabets are based on Vinchan proto-alphabet. Latin and Greek are already remodeled, but Etruscan alphabet (elementa) consists of original Vinchan signs. You can check that on Omniglot site and compare.

[@ShamanKish]

Runes are the most recent variant of Vinchan proto-alphabet, and the earliest runes are found somewhere in Slovakia (so they went north of Vincha).

[@benyahudadavidl]

Perhaps some of us are unaware that socalled nonblack people are not of European descent due to the fact that they are not naturally occurring ie autochthonous beings. They are sapiens neanderthal ie hybrids. We must always we remember that we are literally on a planet where a specific kind of melanin is a requirement for sustaining life due to UV radiation and the metaphysical properties that this type of melanin endows its possessors. Socalled nonblack people have only been on the planet for six to ten thousand years and have no known origins IE they have yet to tell the original people of the planet where they came from and how they came into being. They have written no record of their beginnings which call into question whether they are a product of science and or breeding. I write as an Israelite and an historian who has had the privilege to study history from primary sources available to serious academics and not as one who believes socalled mainstream academics. Shalom

[@tudorbordeianu4524]

It's worth mentioning that the "Ying Yang" symbol was found on pots made by the Cucuteni-Tryplilla people, over 6000 years ago. Check out the similarity between the Yangshao and Cucuteni- Trypillia pots, it's mindblowing. They might have traded commercially and culturally.

[@gigilafonte1621]

Ying Yang and swastika originated in Vinca.

[@Dafterthought]

All populations migrated east at a certain point in history like moved by an invisible force. Of course there was interbreeding happening and with that equilibrium. I think they were much more in tune with the universe and the Earth than our generation today.

[@easytiger6570]

It's not Ying Yang, it's a similar pattern, people always enjoyed geometric patterns of all kinds, no wonder there were similarities

[@easytiger6570]

Especially considering earliest Chinese Ying Yang we know is 3400 years ago, so if it somehow corresponded with symbol found on tripilian ceramic, it would mean that it came from west to east and not the other way around

[@easytiger6570]

@@gigilafonte1621 First known swastika was discovered in northern ukraine, and is dated to around 18000 BC

[@lakrids-pibe]

I wouldn't mind having pottery like that in my home. It's quite beautiful and very "modern". (Modern 20th century art was very inspired by prehistorical and "primitive" art)

[@BlueSwampyCraft]

I have a very pretty Cucuteni vase replica which I bought some years ago from an old potter in Sighisoara, which is also the birthplace of Vlad "Dracula" the Impaler :) it looks uncanny!

[@KasumiRINA]

Yeah I noticed a lot of guys talking about "secret wisdom of the ancients" stuff show examples from 19th or 20th centuries when this stuff first got popular.

[@MagnusItland]

Fascinating! The Neolithic and Chalcolithic had so much variation in culture, both across time and space. And yet it is almost entirely forgotten today, only a few thousand years later.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Sometimes they seem so familiar that it's easy to empathise and imagine how they lived. But at other times they seem impossibly distant and incredibly different. These settlements are so strange - something between a village and a metropolis. Both and neither. I'm still not sure if I would like living there or not.

[@joannecalafiura9864]

S Dan Davis who is he?

[@john9982]

Public education

[@Patrick3183]

They didn’t have writing

[@RogueWave2030]

They kind of forget to teach it...

[@ProPatriaRO]

This civilization was so prolific that even now in eastern Romania when farmers plow thier field they uncover dozens of pottery fragments. But they don't report the finds because it would harm their yield, having teams of archaeologists on your field harms your bottom line. This is the sad truth of archaeology in eastern europe.

[@el_chico1313]

ro thsts so sad:( i think farmers should be handsomly rewarded if they find pottery like this

[@eh1702]

If the big Cucuteni-Trypillia houses in a village had the loomweights and female figurines, isn’t it more likely that these were “work” houses where people got together for crafts? In village pottery production it’s normal for the collecting and processing of clay, and firing to be done communally. It’s just more economical. The same for ore collection (for ceramic glazes and metals). Herding is done more economically by keeping a collective herd owned by several households: it leads to the wool processing, weaving and cloth fulling being done collectively too. The work itself is communal at several points, like cleaning wool, setting up warp, fulling cloth etc. But by doing it together, the essential social bonds are kept up. Why be isolated when you can work, chat and sing together? It makes childcare much easier, and it is insurance against disability and old age - someone can still tend the fire, rock the babies or make loom weights even if they aren’t up to the physical rigors of frame weaving.

[@Dinofaustivoro]

This but also, if you see non hierarchical societies, there is always a common house for assembling and organizing, bc strong local democracy is needed.

[@evelynzlon9492]

The figurine shown at 0:05 is interesting because the lines etched on it do not appear to be random. They point directly to vertically aligned points which correspond to what the people of India believe to be the chakras--major energy centers in the body. In some cases these points are also circled.

[@whalien5286]

That's exactly what people in Moldova did till 50 years ago. My grandparents said they used to gather at someone's house and work together (to process wool and textiles,to knit, make clothes/carpets/rugs, to cook) and socialize. They always formed a big circle, they were singing songs while doing their work. Even nowadays we do that but it usually involves only relatives, previously they gathered neighbours and other villagers. Hora (our traditional dance) is literally a big circle, and we dance it every time we celebrate smth - weddings, birthdays, each cultural event.

[@pasho12now]

Community houses are the hearth of bonding, health, creativity, inspiration, shared joy, information and the glue of love which is absolutely vital to a functional society. The female practical and nurturing perspective is unequivocally made obvious by the sheer abundance of feminine amulets - they literally speak of the essence the lives of these communities revolved around. All of this was viscerally known by these people but for most of us today a radical shift of perception is required in order to be able to evoke the feeling of elated freedom and celebration naturally pertaining to, for us today, a mostly alien way of life.

[@masterofreality926]

They had to work somewhere, I doubt that they burned ceramics where they slept. So that big house probably was a cooperation site.

[@TheOlgaSasha]

The proto-cities in Nebelivka, Trypillia, Talyanky and Maidanske in Ukraine are just wonderful....

[@TheOlgaSasha]

There is also Trypillian culture museum under the sky in Legedzyne village in Cherkasy region of Ukraine, with houses of Trypillian people. But Legedzyne is also famous by its archaeologacal places of later Yamna culture. As well as in Legedzyne the Gothic (Ostrogothic) cemetry of late 4th century AD (Cherniakhov culture) was found. It is a very interesting fact that some graves in the cemetery belong to Sarmatians (Alans), who were satelites of Goths (north-oriented head with Sarmtian inhumation tradition). One child was buried accorging to Sarmatian tradition but with a lot of typically Germanic values, ceramics and other sites (mixed marriages). Some latest graves show typically Christian (Arian) bural tradition (influence of East Roman Empire).

[@M_alienWorld]

Thanks a lot for these wonderful lessons in ancient history! I am from Romania and have heard of the "Cucuteni culture" but had no idea how complex and advanced it was. Maybe there was more research in past decades, maybe it was not of interest for the country leaders who have a say on school curricula.... But ochre colorful homes are still seen in the Moldova part of our country, makes me wonder if any connection.... and girls still used to wear crowns made of interlocked flowers at the time of summer solstice, just like in your lovely illustrations,.... Thanks again for this heart warming story !

[@gopoGPC]

As Romania develops its highways, in the last 10 years were unburied a lot of burial sites, including one of the largest neolitic in the world.

[@susanwozniak6354]

Archaeology is a kind of hobby for me. However, I, like many posters here, had never heard of these people or of the narrator, Dan Davis. Davis cites all of the leading writers on archaeological matter and the people are well cited for a group with their traits. Thank you, Dan Davis for posting this.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you for watching.

[@gaufrid1956]

Such an ancient urban-agrarian culture is amazing, and their mastery of ceramics was first class. It is a pity we will never know how beautiful their textiles were.

[@Brassblitz]

The clay covered log floors is really interesting. 6" logs have an something like an R-8 insulation value, whereas adobe only has R-2. I'm assuming that's the reason they wouldn't just dump clay on the ground. That's pretty sophisticated.

[@jfv65]

It is no surprise to me that this CT culture developed in Moldova and Ukraine. If you have ever travelled trough the countryside of this area you will inevitably have noticed how fertile and black the arable land is. Ideal for farming!

[@ewanherbert3402]

The pottery reminds me of the Jomon pottery of stone age Japan. Also a very "simple" and "primitive" culture that created these works of amazing ceramic art that could have been made today in terms of creativity and style. I think any society that gives people the time, stability and peace of mind to make stuff like that on the regular is pretty advanced...

[@brandoncampanaro7571]

Peace is a desert filled with bones, the bones of your enemies

[@Reziac]

Indeed. That's civilized enough to be able to support an artisan class.

[@xenotypos]

That being said, Jomon people didn't implement agriculture yet. Anyway, I'm a bit skeptical about the "peaceful" part of those past societies (no matter which). Any group of humans that prospered became very soon too numerous and in search for more land. Ressources were limited and past a certain number, conflicts (or demographic stagnation) were kind of inevitable. Also, the societies that happen to be sometimes called peaceful, are always very (very) ancient societies, for which we have very few traces. Seems very uncertain and speculative.

[@helenamcginty4920]

Not really. They just had nothing nore interesting to do like watch history videos on you tube. Not everyone will have been able to make and /or decorate pots. Whoever Was best would have made most I suspect. Others will have done what they did best, perhaps weaving or mending a roof. We each have different skills.

[@imamulmalikchowdhury7659]

stone age japan means it was the ainu people

[@Bln-f9u]

I'd imagine that Europe is full of these cultures, yet still buried under the earth

[@DanDavisHistory]

Yeah could well be although genetic evidence is connecting a lot of dots.

[@karelkieslich6772]

Possibly but this one seems quite unique if only in the size of the cities: the largest settlements in the world, the first of this size that we know of. Certainly it’s not a coincidence that it’s where the most fertile soil in the world (the black earth, chornozem) can be found. If you visit Ukraine, you will find out how tasty and bountiful the food grown in it is. Which is sadly also one of the reasons why so many empires were trying to conquer it. But there also appear to be moments of relative peace and this culture is also interesting in how it appears untouched by warfare, or only towards its very end.

[@nicechock]

I dont think this is a european culture. Looks like they came from turkey or somewhere else. We know that Scandinavian were the first people in actual european region and spread downwards creating the european cities.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@karelkieslich6772 there's a theory that after climate destroyed most of European population, people kept living not just in Iberia, but also in parts of Ukraine, unfortunately it got hijacked by grifters with their hyperdiffusion theories and not as well explored. Might explain civilization developing during a time most of Europe was just getting settled.

[@thicclegendfeep4050]

And to think this beautiful culture was almost forgotten forever. I'm upset that I was never taught about them in school, we learn about Sumeria, Egypt, Indus, and the Chinese river civilizations but this is left out, always, eventhough they are just as interesting. Also, I was surprised to hear that there was some coexistence between the Yamnaya and these people, but that obviously didn't last forever, actually it ended relatively quickly

[@IceniBrave]

If you learned about all those cultures, your education was already far better than most.

[@noras.9774]

I’m from Romania and I’m glad that you make this movie, because the ceramic of Cucuteni is beautiful!

[@Esstan1]

Thank you for shedding light on the lesser talked about cultures, that are just as amazing as the ones we hear about all the time. :) Please make a video of the Karanovo culture!

[@Decebalusrex]

In the '80s my grand-parents still had an oven exactly like min 5:27 in OLT department, near Danube river in DACIA(actually Romania).

[@iblendallday]

I'm fortunate to have learned a bit of English otherwise I would've never heard of this even though I live 20 miles south west of cucuteni,and even though history was one of my favorite subjects in school or high-school no one ever told us about it.

[@daniell1483]

For the past month or so I've been obsessed with early human civilization. Everything from Paleolithic to Bronze Age has been endlessly fascinating, so I'll probably be watching every video on the channel. Really an awesome subject matter!

[@eveningstar7048]

I can't believe I'm only just hearing about these chaps.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Ha, yeah that was my reaction. I knew about the Vinca culture because of the famous chiefs burial. And I knew about the steppe migrations and the sedentary farmers. But I had no idea about these giant settlements and their ceramics. Or the longevity, stability and peacefulness of the culture.

[@Cellottia]

@@DanDavisHistory All hail "The Algorithm" for giving me the chance to come across this information! (Tongue in cheek!) I've been vaguely interested in pre-history since I was a child (not quite 5000 years ago) and I'm even more interested now I'm a hand-spinning, handweaving adult. (I was delighted when, during archaeological excavations prior to a new road being built alongside my village, a big heavy *chalk* spindle whorl was found, and dated to 2,500 - 3,500 years old. It was about 4" across, 1 - 1¼" thick, and was a simple but truly beautiful tool. I'm so happy to have seen and held it!) However, I've never heard of this culture, these people, before, and yes, it does sound like a wonderful, balanced life they led. I shall certainly look out for them and read up on European Neolithic cultures, as, being English, I have, of course, received a fiercely Anglocentric education. I am really enjoying the expansion of my knowledge and interests made possible by this Interweb gizmo 😉.

[@TheBayzent]

I wonder what the hell happened for them to dissapear instead of uplifting the proto-Germanic and proto-Celts into something other than a genocide buffet for Mediterranean Empires like Rome.

[@sorin990]

nigga you need more edjucation ! :]

[@ShamanKish]

@@TheBayzent Bronze enabled weapons of war, so these neolithic paradises were likely destroyed by warrior tribes (who probably were descendants of the same ancestors).

[@MrApple-yw9vp]

Thank you so much about this video. I am from central Moldova and guess what, I never new about this culture and nothing is told about them in the history books. But I look at their art and it seems so familiar, especially the circle dance called ,,hora" where we gather in a circle and dance close to each other. Also their rope like patterns are still prevalent in our national clothing as well as Ukraine and Romania. Fascinating how much of this culture is still embedded by osmosis into our current culture. I never thought about it being so old and now it makes so much sense since it really is something special I've only seen in the region. I wonder how much of their old language has been saved in our current times, it would be amazing to study this unfortunately it probably lost in time.

[@peterjobovic3406]

Thank you for an excellent lecture. Cucuteni pottery is at least comparable to pottery before dynastic Egypt. It seems even nicer to me. Interestingly, ceramics from the Levant region did not reach such a quality during the late Bronze Age at 1200 BC. Really exciting.

[@user-mishapagan]

This was a FANTASTIC presentation. I had some personal interest in Cucteni-Trypillian culture for a while, but now I have motivation to read some of the Western authors on the topic! Thanks!

[@SundariAtari]

One of the most amazing videos on history I've ever seen

[@annepoitrineau5650]

Thank you. I love their ceramics. These long winding patterns, similar to zen gardens, seem to hint that they had plenty of time to reflect. The patterns also remind me a bit of the patterns found in Ireland.

[@rorimckenzie237]

These vases are sooo gorgeous

[@jackdeily8615]

I truly wish history courses in college would teach about this stuff. As someone currently pursuing a master's in archaeology, the amount of important history I have to look up myself because it goes completely ignored in the classroom is disheartening.

[@DanDavisHistory]

I don't know what they teach in your college or in any colleges these days. I guess with history there's just so much of it. Some commenters here from Ukraine especially and Romania also say they were raised knowing about this and going to museums. Which is great.

[@Replicaate]

Neolithic/Chalcolithic societies are so fascinating - no longer hunting nomads, but a ways off from even the early true cities. And so many different ones, almost as if humans as a whole were trying all possible styles of truly settled life to see what worked the best for a given region. It's an underrated period of study for sure!

[@DanDavisHistory]

I agree, the more I learn about Neolithic cultures the more fascinated I become.

[@Replicaate]

@@DanDavisHistory Have you ever done much reading into the Gobleki Tepe temple mound in Turkey? I know it's not exactly "European" but it's such a fascinating site, and seems to mark a high water point for the last sophisticated hunting cultures at the moment the farmers start to assimilate them...

[@ShamanKish]

@@DanDavisHistory They didn't have the "idea of state". It seems that technology of construction was crucial: Population, agriculture to feed them, walls (preferably stone) to store the food and strategic materials = monopoly = state) + bronze=weapons. It seems that pyramids were the global advertisement for state. They appear wherever there were states, like some giant political factories. Europe is practically the only civilized continent where there are no pyramids. Of course - family, as matriarchy, is very important in creation of "civilization" and social divisions and hierarchy.

[@lunaridge4510]

Funny how our ancestors were "trying all possible styles of settled life" and we ended up with the worst "style" of them all.

[@ShamanKish]

Also, in regards to "mother goddess" and such, this is definitely advertisement for family and procreation in connection to the idea of state, which needs lots of cheap labor, which needs to be fed (agriculture and husbandry), and so on...

[@liviu1266]

Great video, I was fascinated with this culture since I was a kid. Greetings from Romania!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Wonderful, I'm so glad you liked it.

[@liviu1266]

@@user-ms4cm4qf5j There is more than one etymological theory. Some say it's from the ancient Romans, some say it's a coincidence. Pick for yourself what's plausible.

[@liviu1266]

@@user-ms4cm4qf5j In 106 AD The Roman Empire established a colony that covered some of our modern territory. Those colonists would be the ones who would merge with the locals and create the Romanian language. All of our neighbours are Slavic, while the Romanian language is latin. Personally I think that the 19th century Romanian intellectuals, who've created this theory, wanted to prove to their Western allies that they are closer to them than to the Turkish Empire that was reigning over us at the time. Recent studies show that the latin languages were related to each other way before the Roman Empire existed and that is way more plausible than roman origin theory. Sorry for this convoluted message but it's hard to explain :)

[@liviu1266]

@@user-ms4cm4qf5j As far as I know the Cucuteni and Trypillia culture are one and the same. That's why this culture is known internationally as Cucuteni-Trypillia culture, even though it extends over two modern states. It's from a period in time when borders didn't exist...

[@empyrionin]

@@liviu1266 not only so but I'm convinced from the extant pottery today and clothing that at least some of the culture and people were retained even after the "steppe" people merged with them and later gave birth to the proto-Thracians. The whole of Eastern Europe basically looks like the people portrayed in the illustrations here, dress and all. Yes we've merged with plenty of populations, but last I've checked there is a significant old genetic component in us. Great video.

[@lesleeg9481]

This is the first time I've heard of a video about this culture. Thank you! The Horse, the Wheel and Language is a fascinating book and I'm glad to hear your research into this little known time period.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you.

[@39Thorns]

We should never assume that political or social hierarchies cannot exit without physical structures. The central spaces in the middle of the settlements were empty for a reason....there may have been temporary ceremonial structures erected there, most certainly some kind of organized pagentry. Who knows what kind of social and political issues were expressed there. Or it could have been a huge corral to keep cattle safe each night...

[@Eshanas]

But cattle leave dung and even temporary structures could leave debris that gets buried by someone doing something as sweeping their foot over it and stomping down. Sure they could decay and statistically have little chance of making it to now but that should also be considered.

[@Novusod]

It was believed by soviet historians that the Cucuteni-Trypillia were prehistoric communists living in an idyllic classless society. All the houses were essentially the same consisting of one central room, another room with a clay hearth, and a side room full of pottery that was used for storage. There were no specialized buildings. No temples, no palaces, no military buildings for storing or making weapons. If there was a ruling class they lived exactly like everyone else.

[@BailelaVida]

Excellent points you all raise, Thorns and Novusod. Thanks! - Structures and buildings are not a must for managing a commune of people, just because we all happen to need them. Shows how easy it is to be biased... - Historians are now realising how much we have continuously experimented with different political systems throughout our scores of thousands of years of history on this Earth. Fex, Commune-like classless societies pop up all over the planet in the most diverse environments. Up to this point, though, they always end up being overtaken by violent, hierarchical and greed-based cultures. Let's see what happens...

[@pkop4]

@@Novusod and for all these reasons they got run over by more patriarchal, militarized, hierarchical cultures

[@KasumiRINA]

@@Novusod but that's not real science but theories crafted for state propaganda, no different from Ahnenerbe's search for ancient aliens.

[@Despredemocratieinamerica]

Wow . That’s my County , Moldova ! Thank you for your video . Love it 💙💛❤️

[@occocia]

Never though we, romanians-moldavians could have so much in common with ukranians, its quite impressive! Greetings to our neighbors and possible ancestors 🇺🇦 🇲🇩 🇷🇴

[@puzzled012]

Ukrainians are a nation devised in 20th century, saying they are ancestors to anyone is mund boggling! besides all of us in Europe are mixture of those ancient groyos of peoples, and living on land once occupied by xyz doesn't make you one!

[@mirellajaber7704]

Thank you, your work on the subject is really commendable, and you manage to cover in these 23 minutes almost everything known so far. I was born 50 km away from Cucuteni, have spent my childhood in such places like Scanteia, Draguseni (the places of my maternal, respectively paternal grandparents), was actually playing with bronze “jewelry” found by relatives while doing their agricultural tasks (my father and I took over 1.5 -2 kg of bronze artifacts, necklaces, etc to the local museum in Iasi, but never ever saw them exposed, nor were we offered any information about them), however, we were never taught about this in school, although we were studying extensively about the Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians. Even university students with a major in history only found out about Cucuteni during their 2nd year at the time of my studies (early 80s, UAIC University in Iasi, probably the 1st or 2nd important cultural hub for Romanians - I mean, the city). Today we, the locals, as well as everyone interested in our deep past, deplore the efforts made by our Romanian authorities to keep everything silent and to discourage any archaeological work that might help us advance in our theories.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you for watching, I'm so glad you liked it. It's wonderful that you had some personal relationship to the artefacts still in your homeland. I'm amazed and saddened that it isn't more celebrated locally. I hope that will change eventually.

[@mirellajaber7704]

@@DanDavisHistory We pray the “Neolithic gods” to help break the current deadlock :)

[@Carloshache]

I actually learned something very interesting about the Trypillia -Cucuteni culture, which deepens the mystery. The thing is that after 3000 BC there is a the formation of a culture in Western China called the Majiayao (a couple of thousand years later than the earliest TC culture). The Majiayao culture is mostly famous for its pottery, which is in many cases is strikingly similar to the Trypillia -Cucuteni pottery. Even some of the motives have a similarity, such as the Swastika motive, but also many patterns in common and in many ways how things like human figures were painted, and many lines as well as the shapes of the pots. I've heard that the TC culture is actually the earliest culture (that we know about) that used the Yin and Yang- symbol, they also were some of the earliest users of the Swastika symbol (which was probably first used by the Vinča culture in the world). These symbols of course later became very much used in Eastern Asia. Maijayao culture however clearly derives most of its pottery tradition from the earlier Yangshao culture in central China. But the Maijiayao also have influences from elsewhere, as this is the culture were China actually gets the invention of metalworking via the newly emerged nomads (Proto-Indoeuropeans) of the Eurasian steppe. So maybe some the TC pottery styles arrived from the steppe Nomads to China too, bringing with new symbols into Eastern Asia. Maybe the contacts across the steppe were more frequent than we would think? Or maybe there was something else going on? Coincidence or technological feature? Or were there other types of connections between east and west?

[@poisontoad8007]

I studied archaeology in the 90's and I too didn't know about this culture! So wtf was that about? Thank you so much for the upload! 👍😊

[@gammon1183]

So nice to have this given to us by the voice of the man in the street and not tainted by the self important silver spoons that abound. Subscribed 😎

[@robertburbulea2863]

Dude, my grandparents have a vineyard and below the hill some archaeologists found some Cucuteni pots.

[@philpaine3068]

I wrote something, informally, on this subject in a blog post in March of 2010. I too, was fascinated by the information on Cuceteni-Tripolye in Anthony's book. I had read the occasional archaeological paper on the culture for several years before, but Anthony brought these disjointed patches of partial information into focus for me. In the blog post, I quoted exactly the same paragraph on the culture's social organization that you have in this video. After that, I wrote the following: My instinct, confronted with this archaeological evidence, is not to conclude that something twice the size of Uruk, obviously engaged in large scale trade and manufacturing, is not a city, but that the conventional definition of a city must be wrong. By this absurd convention, neither Amsterdam nor New York are cities (Neither has ever been dominated by a palace or a temple). Instead, I would conclude that monarchy and temple priesthoods are not essential to the appearance and flourishing of cities, at any “stage” or era. Such institutions characterized Mesopotamian cities. Fine. But city life clearly emerged elsewhere without them. Notice the assumptions built into Anthony’s last sentence. Elsewhere in the book, he conveys the impression that the Tripolye “super towns” were ephemeral. They only lasted several centuries (i.e., longer than the United States has). But Uruk and the other Mesopotamian “first cities” only lasted a few centuries before being reduced to dust. They were not replaced, at least not in the same location. Subsequent Near Eastern urban centers appeared elsewhere, further up the Tigris and Euphrates. The acknowledged “first cities” were no more durable than these unacknowledged ones. The idea that a consular system, if that was indeed how they were governed, was disastrously “unwieldly” is mere cartoon imagery, based on the assumption that monarchy or dictatorship are inherently more efficient than democracy. This is a belief that should be very doubtful to anyone who has payed attention to the events of the last century. These urban communities, in what is now Moldova, Moldavia and Western Ukraine, have every bit as good a claim to being the “first cities” as Uruk and Eridu have. True, they do not fulfill the unexamined conventional image of cities as the passive side-effect of aristocracy. Boo hoo. They do fulfill a rational definition of a city, as a settlement in which large numbers of people, far more than characterize a farming village, engage in technical innovation, internal as well as external trade, and the process of replacing imports with domestic production. As for their eventual demise and disappearance, a far more plausible explanation than the supposed shortcomings of consular government presents itself. Settlements of such size would inevitably have exposed themselves to those infectious diseases which thrive in high population density, and for which this pioneering population would have had no previous experience or immunity. It is especially significant that it took place in a region that was coming into close interaction with a new domestic animal, the horse. Domestic animals are the usual vectors of new plagues. The horse-herding and riding cultures of the adjacent steppes would have long acquired resistance to these diseases, giving them a strategic advantage over little cities precariously exposed in this location. This, and the climate change which subsequently parched the region, can easily account for the fact that these early cities declined and were not subsequently replaced. Blaming proto-democratic organization for it is lazy thinking.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Nice work, Phil, thanks for that.

[@philpaine3068]

@@DanDavisHistory I'll check out your novels. I was a big fan of alternate-history novels (starting with L. Sprague de Camp's "Lest Darkness Fall") until the flood tide of them became too much for me to deal with. Yours sound delish.

[@philpaine3068]

An interesting parallel would be the confederacy of the Mandan people whose "super villages" flourished on the Upper Missouri river between c.1500-1782, after which the introduction of European diseases caused a precipitous decline. Migrants from the east (possibly Ohio), they introduced maize-agriculture to the Great Plains. They allied themselves to a local nomadic tribe, the Hidatsa, who adopted their lifestyle but maintained their independence. The Mandan-Hidatsa began to trade their crops with the many tribes of the plains. Their large villages consisted of concentric circles of family huts around a central plaza. This acted as an "agora" and its religious importance did not necessitate any structure. Government was conciliar in the manner of many confederacies and tribes in the U.S. and Canada (many of which ultimately developed highly formal democratic institutions). Farm production was in the hands of women, who owned produce as individual property. Young men ventured out to explore and establish trading routes to distant tribes. Any youth was entitled to do so, but they were bankrolled by various clan elders and private societies. Trading networks extended across much of North America, involving a host of food staples (such as pemmican, produced by buffalo-hunting tribes), copper, volcanic glass, skins, seafood, textiles, art objects and luxury goods. For example, Mandan women mass-produced fancy combs from dentallium seashells purchased from the Pacific coast, and sold them to eastern tribes as far as the Atlantic (they did not use such combs themselves). At their apogee, their trading network covered an area as large as Europe, with numerous trading posts, cyclical rendezvous, trade fairs, and complicated negotiated treaties and alliances. Practising platform "sky burial", they did not leave cemeteries or burial mounds for future archaeologists. All governance was through councils, often with strict democratic procedures. Clan houses acquired varied degrees of wealth and prestige, displayed in "medicine bundles" and other abstract signs. Sacred areas and religious ceremonies did not need special buildings. War was not unknown to these people, and the villages were surrounded by defensive palisades, but the maintenance of peace to maximize trade was always the priority. There were never Lords or Kings. During the latter half of their "golden age", the introduction of the horse began to radically transform the nomadic plains tribes into stronger and stronger military forces. The Mandan-Hidatsa confederacy was at first the beneficiary of horse trading and horse breeding, and grew even more prosperous, but when weakened by disease, they ultimately succumbed to conquest. The great villages were, one after another, diminished, depopulated, and destroyed. The Mandan and Hidatsa remain, in a few scattered corners, but are greatly overshadowed by the plains tribes such as the Lakota, who are the iconic image of plains culture today. Being closely familiar with this history, you can see why it was easy for me to imagine similar elements and processes among the Cucuteni-Tripolye peoples. Whether these are valid parallels or not, of course, is presently unknowable.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you, that's fascinating. I recently discovered the "Ancient Americas" channel here on KZbin and have been enjoying the videos very much.

[@cathjj840]

Both your posts are indeed fascinating and so eye-opening. Thanks for sharing all of this. Compare these thriving C-T agglomerations to the derelection of modern Moldava....

[@KevinGoesAcoustic]

The perfect thing to listen to while firing up a new Dawn of Man playthrough!

[@DanDavisHistory]

Awesome. Good luck with your playthrough.

[@seaxofbeleg8082]

I was thinking of Dawn of Man as well when I was watching this video. :)

[@AbelDimitriev]

waw am I'm not the only one

[@yuriythebest]

Thanks for the video! I've been to both Trypillia and Rzyshiv ( a contender city to the Trypillia culture that also has lots of artifacts/etc), I'm happy to say both towns are very proud of this heritage and have large statues of the Trypillia culture in their towns square, including large a "binocular-shaped" statue in Rzyshiv that I'm not sure what the meaning of it was

[@DanDavisHistory]

Awesome, thanks for watching! I'm so glad they celebrate the history there.

[@AndriiGryganskyi]

Cucuteni-trypillia towns didn't have a central building. Instead they had a central plaza (maidan in modern language). Maidan in Ukrainian history (including contemporary one) is a heart of democracy, a place, where all news are spread and all political or economical decisions are made. So, maidan instead of central authorities building.

[@swevixeh]

Like the Germanic ting/þing. Despotism is more of a middle eastern concept.

[@qboxer]

@@swevixeh Rather silly thing to say. Early Indo European culture was based along the lines of a sacred Kingship. Despotism is universal.

[@swevixeh]

@@qboxer ok Ebol- ... Evolian.

[@qboxer]

@@swevixeh I didn't say that I approve of it, but it is common across all cultures. I think Parliamentary constitutional monarchy is the best form of government, personally.

[@nikobellic570]

Fascinating! Thanks

[@FlyingPenguin85]

I live in small suburban village of Belgrade, name Vinca...there is archeologic site from Neolit era and so called Vinca culture with its own alphabet including many tools mostly made from stone, clay and obsidian...dating 7000-5000 BC Most famous found figurine is called Lady of VInca...its made from terracotta it dates about 5000 BC its really beautiful since it has colors on it.

[@ingvildlarsen9597]

I am from Norway but this place called me. And I found it. I had a deep spiritul moment there. I believe these ancient places are calling us now, to activate something in our DNA . I was surprised to learn about the amount of the statues with alien looks that was found there, and how little that is known in the world about it.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@ingvildlarsen9597 I hope you're describing playing an Ubisoft game with DNA activated memories but even they don't stoop to pretend aliens exist in their historical fantasy.

[@AndriiGryganskyi]

Despite the language difference, the embroidery unites the people of Ukraine and Romania, same for the millennia.

[@nikeimizhongtomasch1880]

Well, I am not an expert but maybe ancient Dacian was similar to proto-slavic? Before Rome changed Dacian culture.

[@AndriiGryganskyi]

@@nikeimizhongtomasch1880 I feel sure about it. Cucuteni-Trypillia was one thing on the territory of both countries way before Slavs originated.

[@AndriiGryganskyi]

@@nikeimizhongtomasch1880 Maybe opposite. Cucuteni-Trypillia was one thing on the territory of both countries way before Slavs originated. More parallels - church in Moldova and Romania was using Cyrillic alphabet and old Bulgarian (so called Church-Slavic) language as an official language, despite people's language was Romanian.

[@MERALLAK]

Nice sound, images, narrative skills. Subscribed.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you, welcome to the channel. I hope you like the other videos.

[@DapperDan-b2p]

I really like your features. They are all great subjects\ material. Very concise with factual info. Not as broad and drawn out as History Time. Look forward to seeing what you have next!

[@ecologicaladam7262]

Fascinating - and well-presented. Not a culture I've heard of before.....

[@Shlevel]

Compare with the longhouse cultures - convergent evolution (as it were). Also, the Iroquois culture governed through ‘head of household/clan’ females at the ‘householder’ level - ancient societies generally designed themselves after ‘natural lines’ (like beehives, where bees will abandon whole hives (with brood and honey) when the conditions (including encroachment) doesn’t suit them. Women in ancient cultures, since they are the nucleus of any family (and civilization), would appoint various ‘people, including men’ for various purposes - this has ‘independently evolved on earth in many places at many different times’ - the overall development is both striking and intriguing. Also, Cahokia settlement structures have a similar proto-development. Areas by Georgia and Trebizond also have ceramic trade settlements that contributed to the cultural transfer past the Caspian and Asov. Nice vid tho! Cheers! 🥂

[@bassbich]

Hordes from the east pressuring a peaceful culture to move west. Ain’t that something new!😄🥲😭 Hello from Ukraine, Dan!

[@mikemccarty8344]

really love your books, and the research you put into these People of the Bronze Age videos. I've always been interested in pre-history and the lives of people who lived so far back. Thank you!

[@uknowkarel]

Dan, these are amazing as always, thank you. I'm looking forward to your next book bringing more and more of these details to life in even more detail than the first two!

[@rigor7815]

It is worth noting that the symbols painted on their houses are used in old houses in Bessarabia, Romania, and Ukraine today, many people not knowing what they actually mean, yet they still have them on their houses, mainly being nazars, plants, animals and even folkloric heroes.

[@MI75436]

In South Russia too 😊

[@karlmurphy6441]

The art style kind of reminds me of some of Picasso’s works, I know he was heavily influenced by a lot of Palaeolithic and Neolithic art. I think it’s really beautiful

[@jandavidson7093]

To me it has a look of the post-civilisational collapse (Thera volcanic eruption and subsequent tidal wave that inundated coastal sites) swirling artistic styles of the Minoans. Though of course both groups are completely unrelated. Interesting similarities though, at least to my untrained eye that is.

[@somerandomvertebrate9262]

Yeah, kind of psychodelic.

[@ApeLimpezi85]

Try Constantin Brancusi art then.

[@Cellottia]

It appears to me to have similarities in patterning to the ancient pottery found in Arizona. I watch a channel where a chap digs his own clay and, using ancient methods (as far as we can re-create them) shapes, decorates and fires pots based on pottery remnants made by previous inhabitants of the area... I'll add a link to his channel in an edit and you can take a look at his pots: they're not totally dissimilar. Andy Ward is his name: kzbin.info is his channel 😃

[@lakrids-pibe]

I agree. I love the pottery.

[@grandmastersreaction1267]

Those female figurines are obviously Barbies.

[@accaeffe8032]

They are not size 0.

[@sorin990]

Well we have modern day female standards in Romania :) .... more like around the ballkans and eastern europe !

[@nejdalej]

That's an interesting theory actually. I thought they may have been tokens of affection. Guy makes statue of the woman he wants to marry to impress her x

[@toxicstatesofamerica1277]

"Fatass Barbie."

[@sorin990]

@@toxicstatesofamerica1277 More like dont get your PP stabbed in one of those ass bones :)

[@Ostsol]

I've put David Anthony's book and yours on my Audible wish list. Europe of this time period is very much underrepresented in popular historical knowledge and fiction.

[@comeonthegreens]

Fabulously informative Dan, thank you for sharing!

[@cristiii7605]

As a Romanian I am proud of our ancestors:)

[@psicologamarcelacollado5863]

Sooooo cool! I appreciate your contribution very much. My son is interested both in history and writing, so I forwarded him your channel. Great content, thank you.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Wonderful, thank you.

[@mach1251]

Love this way of promoting your book, just got it on my kindle, your research is great and I hope it translates into the story. European pre-history is very neglected, happy you are making the effort. Biggest cities in the world at that time should be a huge discovery, yet our archeology is so dogmatic, uninformed, and at this point superstitious that when future humanity looks at will look at us with concern. Science is just becoming a word, politics and narratives the mainstay. What we have left is brave souls to disregard the dogmas and pave the new path, hopefully avoiding being burnt at the steak of the modern cancel culture. Looking forward to your books Dan

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the stories.

[@Digephil]

I quite liked this video. I really liked the added touch when you mentioned that you are a member of that particular haplogroup. It's really grounding to not just think about these ancient peoples in an abstract sense, but as your actual ancestors.

[@miki4908]

We should mention Vinča (Vincha) in northern Serbia dated 5 000 BCE.Several settlements along river Danube area still under excavations with very important findings.

[@katholischetheologiegeschi1319]

When did the slavs arrive in south eastern europe? Since serbs arw slavic and the slavs are from the north east

[@ihorhryzhak2465]

It's the firstest civilization in the world! Very interesting. Tripil's people had own writing. Archeologisn call it as Danube script.

[@peskylisa]

This is the same culture Mary Mackey wrote about in The Day the Horses Came, The Horses at the Gate, Fires of Spring and Sabala's Journey.

[@DanDavisHistory]

I never heard of her or those books but I will check them out, that's amazing, thank you.

[@accaeffe8032]

The pottery is amazing.

[@RaniVeluNachar-kx4lu]

Wow! Nice two floor clay floor and walled houses with strong structure in the rafters and roofs. I would stay in one of those places. I bet Moldovan winter got pretty cold.

[@django-unchained]

Please start adding the cirka date/years in a corner when showing maps of stuff etc. Really helps to follow the timeline of things for us uneducated. Otherwise very good and instant sub!

[@BailelaVida]

Great video. Thank you so much for this. Super interesting! Poor Marija... one of the greatest geniuses of human history and our male-dominated self-justifying culture is still bashing her. Curious how long it takes for things to change, but slowly we're getting there...

[@mihaiilie8808]

In Romania you can still find houses made like that,from mud and wood sticks.They are called ,, casa de Paianta,,.

[@mihaiilie8808]

@@mariannehuston3814 You are right about the Hora too.

[@mariannehuston3814]

@@mihaiilie8808 Deia si printul Charles ar vrea sa se stabileasva la Cucutenii din Vale😁

[@elizabethford7263]

As an archaeologist, I am always searching for information on little- known cultures, esp the Mesolithic through Early Bronze Age, and especially those cultures where settled cultures were in contact with nomadic ones. Are there any other books you recommend on this? I'm ordering that one by Anthony (?) for sure

[@DanDavisHistory]

I'm most fascinated by these interactions between settled peoples and pastoralists and also between them and hunter-gatherers which I talked a bit about in the Pitted Ware and Funnelbeaker videos. There is some stuff about that in the excellent book The First Farmers of Europe by Stephen Shennan, although it's rather broad in scope of course. The interactions between the Mesolithic people and the incoming farmers is what I'm going to be focusing on later this year.

[@bjones8470]

I really enjoyed this video as another commenter mentioned so many videos just focus on wars and kings, it’s much more interesting,to me, to learn about the everyday lives of the people

[@ContraVsGigi]

I would heartly recommend one to visit Cucuteni-T. museums. One is in downtown Piatra Neamt, in Romania, in a former bank and it is extremely interesting. You will find over there some of the more complex art shown in this video. You will also hear about some of the houses and what was discovered below the ashes/ruins of the house etc. It is very, very interesting!

[@chocolatedonut6312]

Being from a country where tripillya resided 🙂 super proud to have such ancient roots

[@evanrudibaugh8772]

For people interesting in other nearby cultures of the time: look up the Varna Necropolis (Bulgaria ~4500 BC) - which features a man buried with a huge amount of gold, including even a... phallic cover. This is an interesting contrast to the supposedly matriarchic and egalitarian Cucuteni culture. Near the same time was also used the Vinča 'script' - a possible proto-writing system.

[@Camus318]

except the gold "phallic cover" was not found in this position between the legs, it was placed there. The piece was in the filling of the grave pit.

[@evanrudibaugh8772]

@@Camus318 It's still conventionally identified as such. Normally, I'd try to investigate this further, but I think I'll skip on adding that to my search history. (Obviously, that will give me ads for the wrong brands of genital jewelry. You know, thing bling-bling.)

[@razvanandreiantonescurogoz4236]

They might have destroyed the urban settlements, but the Cucuteni culture lived on in Romanian villages many centuries after

[@prycenewberg3976]

I think what I appreciate most about your videos is your general humility in expressing what you don't know. There's an honesty to your fascination with these ancient peoples that it is hard to find elsewhere.

[@sarcasmo57]

Thanks Dan. It was super interesting.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you, I agree. I think I need to make a video focusing on how it came to an end in more detail, it's complicated and there's maybe more cultural continuity than we might expect.

[@ActualHistory123]

Straight forward and honest presentation of available evidence. For once i don't feel as though im being manipulated or brainwashed. I'd like to see a future video done on the Maikop "Kurgan" Culture of the Caucasus.

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you. Videos on the Maikop cultures are planned.

[@katerynarusakova6176]

As Ukrainian, I’ve heard about this culture, but didn’t know much. This is truly amazing. When I am looking at these houses, I recognize Ukrainian villages. Wood frame, clay and straw. I still remember those straw roofs and painted clay walls on older houses when I visited my grandparents. Each region in Ukraine has its own pottery and textile styles. They are very colourful and gorgeous. There was a cult of “bereginya” in Ukrainian culture. Bereginya is a goddess who protects your house and family. Even now we call our women bereginya. Agriculture plays very important role in the economy of Ukraine. Even though I have a very small backyard, I still plant lots of vegetables, berries and flowers. It is in my blood. I can’t believe how much my people were influenced by this culture and still have it regardless of multiple wars, occupations, deportations, famine, repressions. When Russians are telling us, Ukrainians, that we have never existed and were created by Lenin, I can only laugh and feel sorry for them… by the way, according to UNESCO, Ukraine has the larges number of folk songs in the world. Now I know why - we have very very deep roots.

[@fungunsun1]

The more Im learning about ancient civilizations, the more I realize we overrate weaponry and architecture as a sign of civilezed society, and underrate travel, trade, art, science etc.

[@IPlayWithFire135]

The Trypillia culture were Ukrainians, now? No wonder your nationalists think you not only existed fully formed before any hint of national consciousness, more so than peoples in similar situations like the Low Germans who were not accorded the same space and cultural patronage from the larger relative nation, but you are also candidates for having built the pyramids.

[@masterofreality926]

Not the Russians are telling you, it`s the history. And `you` not as people, folk , but as state. Lenin had to give away Donbas region, because otherwise there wouldn`t be any proletariat in UkSSR. Because this area always were 100% agrarian. And you proved it by your own words. Proletariat dictatorship without proletariat is nonsense, that`s why is happened. Currently you are going back to your roots.

[@negikhanoom]

very interesting ! I hope there will be more research in future in this culture !

[@jcummins2177]

Your videos and books (gods of bronze series) are amazing. I look forward to your future works. Thank you for your works

[@DanDavisHistory]

Thank you very much.

[@veronicalogotheti1162]

Thank you