(Above) Neolithic female figurines found in the Danube Valley. Image © Elena Roxan Mutaneau
Exhibition: The Lost World of Old Europe, The Danube Valley, 5000 – 3500 BC, Ashmolean Museum Oxford until August 15 2010
In recent years archaeologists have highlighted Britain's rich Neolithic landscapes, stone circles, burial chambers and their treasures as evidence of a flourishing culture to rival the Roman period.
At the Ashmolean, a vast haul of Neolithic riches are revealing a forgotten story of another Neolithic "Lost World" which flourished in the Danube Valley of South-East Europe between 5000 and 3500 BC.
Long before the great Pyramids of the Ancient Egyptians and the great civilizations of Greece and Rome, a European culture prospered which some say rivalled the complexity and splendour of anything that followed.
The Lost World of Old Europe features 250 stunning objects drawn from museum collections in Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova, including a set of female figurines that has had experts developing complex theories of a highly matriarchal utopian society led by aesthetics.
Whatever the truth of this theory, the artefacts on display are impressive; ranging from sophisticated pottery vessels with intricate swirling patterns to the most famous piece of Neolithic artwork in the world, The Thinker. Together, they attest to a richness and complexity that has remained largely unexplored.
What is known beyond doubt is that the Danube was a source of great wealth, as evidenced by the earliest major assemblage of gold artefacts found anywhere in the world (from the Varna cemetery in Bulgaria). Spondylus shell ornaments also provide tangible evidence for the existence of the earliest exchange networks in Europe.
There is evidently still much to learn from this fascinating prehistoric haul, but this impressive range of artefacts might just provide the perfect starting point for a new understanding of the Neolithic period.
2010 is Year of the Museum in the South East. Discover a museum at www.culture24.org.uk/southeast and find out about the Beautiful South campaign at www.visitsoutheastengland.com.
