Gimbutas, Marija (1921–1994)

Lithuanian-born US-based archaeologist whose feminist theories challenged traditional views of society in prehistoric Europe. She proposed that Stone Age Europe was a peaceful and harmonious place, where men and women were equals and worshipped life-giving goddesses, in particular the great Mother Goddess; the invading Indo-Europeans brought a male-dominated society and warlike gods.

Gimbutas' radical ideas are treated with considerable scepticism by most scholars in the field, but they have been adopted with enthusiasm by many feminists. Works include The Language of the Goddess (1989) and The Civilization of the Goddess (1991).

Gimbutas first established her reputation with solid works such as The Prehistory of Eastern Europe (1956) and the enormous Bronze Age Cultures of Central and Eastern Europe (1965). Appointed a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, she organized and directed Neolithic excavations in Yugoslavia, Greece, and Italy, and developed her theories about the Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe (1974), theories which culminated in her last two works, on the supposed Mother Goddess cult.