World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Marija Gimbutas

マリヤ・ギムブタス

Marija Gimbutas

Aliases: Marija Birutė Alseikaitė-Gimbutienė / Marija Birutė Alseikaitė

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1921-01-23 （Vilnius, Central Lithuania）
Died
1994-02-02 （Los Angeles, California, U.S.） age 73
Nationality
Lithuanian
Languages
Lithuanian, English
Residence History
Vilnius (birth) → Kaunas (childhood and schooling) → Vienna (wartime refuge) → Innsbruck (short residence) → Bavaria, Germany (wartime period) → United States (academic career, e.g. Boston) → Los Angeles (later life)

Career

Occupations
Archaeologist, Anthropologist, Professor, Researcher
Active Years
1949-1991
Affiliations
Harvard University Peabody Museum (Fellow), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Professor & Curator of Old World Archaeology, OPUS Archives and Research Center (collection holder)
Influenced By
Jonas Puzinas (mentor)
Influenced
Mary Mackey (novelist inspired by Gimbutas's research), Ecofeminist thinkers

Education

Vytautas Magnus University
Faculty of Humanities (Linguistics) / Department of Philology (Linguistics)
Degree: 在学（学士課程）
Period: 1938–
Country: Lithuania
Studied linguistics; later pursued graduate studies in archaeology at the University of Vilnius.
University of Vilnius
Graduate studies (Archaeology) / Archaeology / Ethnology
Degree: 修士（MA）
Period: 1940–1942
Year of Graduation: 1942
Country: Lithuania
Completed MA in 1942 with a thesis on Iron Age burial practices in Lithuania.
University of Tübingen
Graduate School of Archaeology / Archaeology (minors in ethnology and history of religion)
Degree: 博士（PhD）
Period: 1944–1946
Year of Graduation: 1946
Country: Germany
Received doctorate in 1946 with dissertation on prehistoric burial rites in Lithuania.
University of Heidelberg / University of Munich
Postgraduate studies / Archaeological research
Degree: 博士後研究
Period: 1947–1949
Country: Germany
Postdoctoral work after WWII.

Awards

Honorary Doctorate (Vytautas Magnus University)
1993
Organization: Vytautas Magnus University
Result: 授与
Fellow, Peabody Museum
1955
Organization: Harvard University Peabody Museum
Result: 就任

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe

1974 Scholarly work (archaeology / history of religion)

Systematic study of Neolithic to Chalcolithic religious imagery in Europe, presenting evidence for goddess-centered iconography.

Goddess figurines and religious expressionOld Europe cultures

The Language of the Goddess

1989 Scholarly / popular (archaeology & symbolism)

Focuses on symbolic systems in Western civilization tracing back to Old Europe; influential work that inspired an exhibition in Wiesbaden (1993–94).

Symbolic systemsReconstruction of goddess worship
Adaptations
  • [Exhibition] The Language of the Goddess exhibition (Wiesbaden) (1993)

The Civilization of the Goddess

1991 Scholarly synthesis

A comprehensive overview and interpretation of Old Europe covering housing, social structure, art and religion; the concluding volume of her 'goddess trilogy.'

Social structureReligion and symbolism

The Balts

1963 Scholarly (ethnohistory / archaeology)

Treatise on the prehistory and culture of the Baltic peoples.

EthnogenesisPrehistoric cultures

Bibliography

  • Die Bestattung in Litauen in der vorgeschichtlichen Zeit (1946)
  • The Prehistory of Eastern Europe (1956)
  • The Balts (1963)
  • Bronze Age cultures in Central and Eastern Europe (1965)
  • The Slavs (1971)
  • The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe (1974)
  • The Language of the Goddess (1989)
  • The Civilization of the Goddess (1991)

Adaptations

  • The Language of the Goddess exhibition in Wiesbaden (1993–1994)
  • Historical novels by Mary Mackey inspired by Gimbutas's research (multiple novels)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Interdisciplinary, comparative scholarly styleCombination of archaeological description with mythological and folkloric interpretation
Recurring Motifs
Goddess figurines and maternity motifsContrast between Old Europe and steppe cultures (matristic vs androcratic)Analysis of burial practices and funerary rites

Legacy

Marija Gimbutas had a broad impact through her studies of Old Europe and the 'goddess' concept, while her later interpretive theories drew significant scholarly criticism; her work influenced archaeology, mythology, feminism and New Age circles, and her archives are housed at OPUS.

Museums

  • OPUS Archives (Marija Gimbutas Collection) Carpinteria, California (on campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute)

Academic Societies

  • University of California, Los Angeles academic community
  • Peabody Museum (Harvard)

Archives

  • OPUS Archives and Research Center (Gimbutas Collection)

In Popular Culture

  • Historical novels by Mary Mackey based on Gimbutas's research (e.g., The Year the Horses Came)
  • Lithuanian commemorative stamp (2021)

Quotes

  • “I had the opportunity to get acquainted with writers and artists such as Vydūnas, Tumas-Vaižgantas, even Basanavičius... When I was four or five years old, I would sit in Basanavičius's easy chair and I would feel fine. And later, throughout my entire life, Basanavičius's collected folklore remained extraordinarily important for me.”
    Source: Marler (biographical source), excerpted in Wikipedia (1998)

Trivia

  • While at Harvard she was reportedly barred from using the library reserved for men, a factor in her move to UCLA (citation noted).
  • Died in Los Angeles in 1994 and was interred at Petrašiūnai Cemetery in Kaunas.
  • Authored the so-called 'goddess trilogy' (The Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe; The Language of the Goddess; The Civilization of the Goddess).