Marija Gimbutas Papers and Collection of Books
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8m04b8b No online items Marija Gimubtas Papers and Collection of Books Finding aid prepared by Archives Staff Opus Archives and Research Center 801 Ladera Lane Santa Barbara, CA, 93108 805-969-5750 [email protected] http://www.opusarchives.org © 2017 Marija Gimubtas Papers and 1 Collection of Books Descriptive Summary Title: Marija Gimbutas Papers and Collection of Books Physical Description: 164 linear feet (298 boxes) and 1,100 volumes Repository: Opus Archives and Research Center Santa Barbara, CA 93108 Language of Material: English Biography/Organization History Marija Gimbutas (1921-1994) was a Lithuanian-American archeologist and archaeomythologist, and Professor Emeritus of European Archaeology and Indo-European Studies at the University of California Los Angeles from 1963-1989. Her work focused on the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of Old Europe. She was born in 1921 in Vilnius, Lithuania. At the University of Vilnius she studied archaeology, linguistics, ethnology, folklore and literature and received her MA in 1942. In 1946 she earned a PhD in archaeology at Tübingen University in Germany for her dissertation on prehistoric burial rites in Lithuania. In 1949 Gimbutas moved to the United States. She worked for Harvard University at the Peabody Museum from 1950-1963 and was made a Fellow of the Peabody in 1955. Her work included translating archeological reports from Eastern Europe, and her research focused on European prehistory. In 1963 Gimbutas became a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles in the European archeology department. Gimbutas is best known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe," a term she introduced. Old Europe referred to both the geographical area and social structures that existed before the Indo-European influence, as reflected in her work on the cross-disciplines of archaeological artifacts, linguistics, ethnography, and folklore. This led her to posit the thesis that the European prehistoric culture was female-centered and worshiped a Mother Goddess as giver of all life. Gimbutas conceptualized an interdisciplinary approach to scholarship that she named "archaeomythology" in order to describe her research methodology, which bridged archeology, linguistics, and folklore with mythology and symbolic studies. Her most well known books include Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe (1974), The Language of the Goddess (1989), and The Civilization of the Goddess (1991). See the Opus Archives and Research Center website for a bibliography of Gimbutas’ works. Scope and Content Note The collection includes Marija Gimbutas’ papers and her personal library. Her papers focus on her professional life during the years she lived in California and taught at UCLA, and cover her teaching and research through extensive lecture notes, extensive research notes, photographs, slides and maps, manuscripts for articles and books, articles and reprints, and figurines from her personal collection. Her intensive research on European prehistory are evident in her research files on the European Neolithic cultures and symbols of Old Europe including: Ancient Symbolism in Lithuanian Folk Art, Slavic Religion, Religion of Old Europe, Lengyel & East Balkan, Cucuteni, Linear Pottery Culture, Çatal Hüyük (Anotolia, Turkey) and the work of James Mellaart, Culture Studies of Tisza, Achilleion Site (includes excavation notes, photocopies of articles, illustrations, and Scaloria Cave Site (includes information on shells, excavation notes). The research files also include proofs and drafts for The Living Goddesses , edited by Miriam Robbins Dexter and published posthumously, and illustration materials that include original illustrations and page proofs for Bronze Age Cultures, Language of the Goddess , and Civilization of the Goddess. Gimbutas’ index cards of bibliographic citations, organized under subject, form a significant part of her research notes. The visual materials in the Gimbutas collection contain over 12,000 slides, illustration materials for her books on prehistoric sacred figures, archeological and historical maps, charts, and blueprints. A selection of artifacts comprise an aspect of the collection and includes pottery shards and samples from archeological sites, replicas of Goddess figurines, mementos from Lithuania and commemorative medals. Gimbutas' personal library of over 1,500 volumes includes an extensive collection on archaeology, as well as numerous volumes about religion, anthropology, linguistics, mythology, folklore, and art. Search Gimbutas’ collection of books at the Marija Gimbutas Library. Subjects and Indexing Terms Archaeomythology Folklore and history Anthropology Marija Gimubtas Papers and 2 Collection of Books Goddesses Neolithic period Europe Artifacts Subjects and Indexing Terms Figurines, Prehistoric Antiquities Culture--Studying and teaching "Lady of Parardzik," Bulgaria, c. 4000 BCE (replica) Physical Description: Matted illustration Scope and Content Note "Lady of Parardzik," Bulgaria, c. 4000 BCE (replica). Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A33] (2) Birthing figurines, Hagar Qim, Malta, 4000 BCE (replicas) Scope and Content Note (2) Birthing figurines, Hagar Qim, Malta, 4000 BCE (replicas) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A11] (2) Incised amber bear and pendant. Maglemose culture, Denmark, 7000 BCE (replicas) Scope and Content Note (2) Incised amber bear and pendant. Maglemose culture, Denmark, 7000 BCE (replicas) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A13] (2) Marble figurines, Cyclades, 3000-2300 BCE (replicas) Scope and Content Note (2) Marble figurines, Cyclades, 3000-2300 BCE (replicas) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A8] (2) offering vessels, Koros River basin, SE Hungary, 5500 BCE (replicas) Scope and Content Note (2) offering vessels, Koros River basin, SE Hungary, 5500 BCE (replicas) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A7] Marija Gimubtas Papers and 3 Collection of Books Box GIMBUTAS Achilleon pottery shards 103 artif Physical Description: n/a Scope and Content Note Achilleon AX • A43-A45: 3 styrofoam pouches of multiple pottery shards • A46: 1 plastic pouch of shards MARIJA GIMBUTAS ESTATE 1994 Box GIMBUTAS Awards and memorabilia 116 artif Scope and Content Note A94: Wood & Rubber Stamps based on Goddess images-a gift to the Gimbutas Collection. A35: copy of "Old Marks, New Marks the Earth" Leather portfolio Vesta Award to Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas Estate 1994 Award Physical Description: Matted illustration Scope and Content Note Trophy/award for Gimbutas' Fellowship - Center for Advanced Study in The Behavorial Sciences 1961-62 Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A30] Bas-relief, Sterling Run, Pennsylvania (cast) Scope and Content Note Bas-relief, Sterling Run, Pennsylvania (cast) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A5] Box GIMBUTAS Collectibles and figurines 113 artif Physical Description: n/a Scope and Content Note A36 (3) coin mementos from Lithuania; A37 carved figurine (replica); A38 Amber colored resin; A39 grayish stone figure; A40 carved talisman; A41 amber colored resin figure; A42 white stone carved figure (labeled A35); A43 clay figure with face; A44 wood shoe boat carving- 'Palan Gos Juze'; A45 Carved wood shoe; A46 stone Tell Brak, E. Syria, 3000 BCE (replica); A47 red woven mat Marija Gimbutas Estate Marija Gimubtas Papers and 4 Collection of Books Box GIMBUTAS Copy of Old Marks, New Marks The Earth-Centered Art of Mary Heebner, limited 116 artif edition with original print, signed by the artist Physical Description: Matted illustration Scope and Content Note Copy of Old Marks, New Marks The Earth-Centered Art of Mary Heebner, limited edition with original print, signed by the artist Gift of the artist to the Gimbutas Collection 1996 Note [A35] Box GIMBUTAS Corregia (includes Impresso Ware) pottery shards 104 artif Physical Description: n/a Scope and Content Note Corregia (includes Impresso Ware shards) • A47: Handwritten note • A48-A49: 2 paper envelopes of shards • A50-A57: 8 styrofoam pouches of multiple pottery shards MARIJA GIMBUTAS ESTATE 1994 Double headed figure, Serbia, Vinca Culture 5,000 BCE, replica Scope and Content Note Vinca culture, Yugolsavia, 5000 BCE (replica) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A3] Box GIMBUTAS Figurines 109 artif Physical Description: n/a Scope and Content Note Figurines (mostly broken – some from 1994 Northridge Earthquake) Contents: • A73: unlabeled Figurines with green vein (INSPECT for Value) • A74: Cast of late Neolithic Seated Goddess, Malta (original in LaValletta Museum in Malta) • A75: Other broken figures (likely casts) • A76: Grimes Graves Flint Mines – Chalk MARIJA GIMBUTAS ESTATE 1994 Technical Details most of the figurines are broken Marija Gimubtas Papers and 5 Collection of Books Figurine with serpents and owl from the Palaces of Knossos, Crete ca. 1500 BCE (replica) Physical Description: Matted illustration Scope and Content Note Figurine with serpents and owl from the Palaces of Knossos, Crete ca. 1500 BCE (replica) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A32] Goddess of Laussel, Dordogne, France, c. 25,000-20,000 BCE (mini-replica) Scope and Content Note Goddess of Laussel, Dordogne, France, c. 25,000-20,000 BCE (mini-replica) Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A12] Illustrations from "Achilleion: A Neolithic Settlement in Thessaly, Greece 6400-5600 BC" by Marija Gimbutas Physical Description: Matted illustration Scope and Content Note Illustrations from "Achilleion: A Neolithic Settlement in Thessaly, Greece 6400-5600 BC" by Marija Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas Estate Note [A25]