Senosios Europos simbolių klasifikacija ir interpretavimas Marijos Gimbutienės veikaluose "Deivės kalba" ir "Senoji Europa"

ENThe author of the article focuses on the principles and types of classification of Old European symbols as well as on some problems arising in the process of interpreting their meaning in the works of Marija Gimbutas, the American archaeologist of Lithuanian descent. First af all, in the section of preliminary remarks, the author draws attention to the hermeneutic dimension of prehistoric archaeology, stressing the role and importance of interpretation in this academic field. Bearing in mind that the form of interpretation practiced in the sphere of prehistoric archaeology dealing with the symbology and iconography of Old Europe has much in common with the philosophical hermeneutics, we may argue that there is a clear philosophical dimension to the work of such scholars specialising in the field of prehistoric archaeology as Marija Gimbutas. The author of this article makes an attempt to spell out the philosophical aspects related to the hermeneutics of Old European symbology in two works of Marija Gimbutas, namely, “The Language of the Goddess” (1989), which is the magnum opus of Gimbutas and is mostly relevant to our research, and “Senoji Europa” (“The Old Europe”, 1996), which is a slightly abridged version of the original English publication “The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe, 6500-3500 B.C.: Myths and Cult Images” (1982 second ed.; 1974 first ed.). In the first chapter of the article, the author briefly examines the significa- tional status of Old European symbols and their possible relation to the hypothetical Old European writing system, drawing attention to the similarities and differences, relevant to the analysis of Old European symbology and discussed at length in the aforementioned works of Marija Gimbutas, between the systems of true writing and proto-writing.In the second chapter, the author of the article discusses those aspects of the common arbitrary signs, the symbols, and iconic signs which are relevant to the Marija Gimbutas’ classification and interpretation of Old European symbols. For example, the author observes that the nature of the symbol is understood quite differently in the American tradition in comparison to the European (Sau- ssurean) understanding of the symbol’s nature. The attention is drawn to the fact that Marija Gimbutas, as we might expect of an American scholar, ussually understands the nature of the symbol according to the principles of the American (Peircean) semiotic tradition, that is, treats the symbol in the way the common arbitrary sign is treated in the European (Saussurean) tradition. Stressing their abstract significational (denotational) nature, Marija Gimbutas nevertheless frequently mentions and thoroughly examines the religious aspects of Old European symbols, thereby drawing our attention to their connotational fields. We find two prevalent types of the classification of Old European symbols in the works of Marija Gimbutas, 'that is, a type of classification based on the level of their abstractness, and a type of classification based on their content. In the third chapter of the article, the author examines the type of classification of Old European symbols based on the level of their abstractness. Three formal types of the classification of Old European symbols are presented in the monograph of Gimbutas “The language of the Goddess”: 1) abstract, or hieroglyphic, symbols; 2) representational symbols; and 3) animal symbols. The author of the article, discussing each of these types as they are understood by Marija Gimbutas, also draws attention to some difficulties of precise identification of those types, demarcation of their boundaries, and attribution of particular symbols to each of those types.In the fourth chapter of the article, the author discusses the classification of Old European symbols based on their content. In “The Language of the Goddess", Marija Gimbutas presents four thematic types of Old European symbols: 1) a type thematically related to life-giving; 2) a type thematically related to the concept of renewing and eternal earth; 3) a type thematically related to death and regeneration; and 4) a type thematically related to nature’s energy and unfolding. In “The Old Europe”, Marija Gimbutas presents a thematic analysis of Old European symbols based on the stereotypes of iconographic representation of the Goddess. Seven such stereotypes are mentioned and examined by Marija Gimbutas in her book “The Old Europe”. These stereotypes are semantically and functionally very similar to the four thematic types mentioned in “The Language of the Goddess”. The author arrives at a conclusion that the results of classification and interpretation of Old European symbols in the works of Marija Gimbutas are very impressive, yet there are also a lot of theoretical problems to be solved in the future. The main obstacle to this endeavour is the fact that precise classification of Old European symbols depends on their successful interpretation and, vice versa, the precise interpretation of those symbols also depends on their succesful classification. We are left with a form of a vicious circle which is very difficult (but arguably not impossible) to break, and we may conclude that the methodology of philosophical hermeneutics might be very useful in the field of prehistoric archaeology.

• Beginnings of philosophy in the worldview of the old Europeans: reflecting on the archaeomythological reconstructions of Marija Gimbutas. Sphairos. 2022, 13. Marija Gimbutas in the 21st century: longing for peaceful civilisations, p. 108-140.
• Marija Gimbutas, Algirdas Greimas, and Antanas Mončys: traces, myths, and sculptures. Sphairos. 2022, 13. Marija Gimbutas in the 21st century: longing for peaceful civilisations, p. 89-140.