Finding the Pre Proto Indo-European Gods

Before the Proto Indo-Europeans, the Early European Farmers (or Neolithic Farmers) were spread across Europe, and they had their own gods. How do we know who they were? Well here we do some analysis to uncover a number of them.

ERROR: I did say Mycenean instead of Minoan a few times, and I apologize. Unfortunately I can't correct this audio now it is published, but will correct the error the next time I make a video on the subject.

References:
Marchi, N et al. 2022. The genomic origins of the world's first farmers. Cell.
Pettazzoni. 1967. "Introduction to the History of Greek Religion." In Essays on the History of Religions. S.l.: Brill
Robbins, Miriam. 1980. The Assimilation of Pre-Indo-European Goddesses into Indo-European Society, Volume 8, Journal of Indo-European Studies, pp.19-30
Nadel, Dani et al. 2012. New evidence for the processing of wild cereal grains at Ohalo II, a 23 000-year-old campsite on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. antiquity. 86. 990-1003

Chapters
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0:00 Introduction
2:40 Cultural Migration into Europe
4:30 25,000 Years Ago
5:38 15,000 Years Ago
6:53 The Younger Dryas Period
8:51 Farming Begins
11:16 Neolithic Migration
11:58 The Rise of the Proto Indo-Europeans
14:55 Finding the Old Gods
16:47 Looking at Greece
20:49 Mother Earth... and her many faces
26:05 Are these the old gods?
26:54 Half a Pantheon of Old Gods!

[Crecganford]

Are there any gods that you think are pre-proto indo-european?

[Valdagast]

When we look at a river from a distance, it looks like a snake or serpent winding its way through the countryside. Is that why serpents are often associated with rivers and water?

[srdjanstevanovic]

There is one mistake here: Mycenaeans were indoeuropians, Minoans that precede them were not. Mycene culture started when indoeuropean trybes merged with agriculturallists that precedes them.Greeks called them Pelasgians.That happened somewhere from 2500-2000 B.C.

[domasvaitmonas]

When you said Zeus-PERKUNAS, I almost spit my drink -- "Perkūnas" in Lithuanian mythology is the god of the sky/thunder. Perkūnas is also the word used to for thunder. Never knew that anthropologists refer to Zeus-Perkunas

[SCP.]

I struggle to find the words to describe it, but there is something endlessly fascinating about the part of anthropology that studies how culture and mythology helped to shape each other. Especially when you get into the pre-history of it all.

[brianfoster]

For the Ancient Greeks, I find your Demeter argument interesting as I feel the Titan Gaia (Greek Mother Earth) would be a better candidate for a feminine pre-proto Indo-European deity as Zeus overthrew the Titans, which is a great example of the new culture overthrowing the new.

[onewaytosavetheday]

I'm only 2 minutes and 40 seconds into this video, but I just had to pause to say, thank GOD (pun intended) this guy isn't yelling for my attention like most other channels! This guy's voice is like a request for me to listen, not a demand. Love that.

[UFOSasquatch]

Holy moly, what a pleasure it's been discovering your channel today. I finished grad school focusing on Ancient Near Eastern and Mesopotamian history, so topics like this one are few and far between on YT when it comes to killing time and thinking outside the box. As you probably know, details on this field can be rather scarce, so its nice to see a deeper dive being conducted as new evidence becomes more readily available. You sir have gained a subscriber- keep up the good work!

[ChrissieBear]

I'd consider the Jotnar to be a third family of gods in Norse mythology, since not only are they ancestors to some Aesir, even to Odin, but they are shown to be of equal power to the Aesir and the Vanir, and can also marry and have children with Aesir and Vanir.

[AbhishekSingh-jioc]

We Hindus in India still worship some of these Gods. A tradition unbreakable since time immemorial and we will continue to do so. Nature is God.

[somniumisdreaming]

I started Uni in Classics and ended up post grad specialising in comparative religion, your work is outstanding and very intertesting indeed. I am so pleased to have found such a well researched and well written channel, thank you for your hard work.

[Sam-iunb]

Thank you for for all the time and effort you put into this. This kind of academic content doesn't get enough love from the algorithm. But you've got me asking questions about "what it means to be a person" when I really should be sleeping!

[sabrinaleedance]

Your voice is incredibly calming but not overly so where im falling asleep, but keeps my interest in this!

[chriselliott]

I was looking for a good video on this topic the last two weeks…

Crecganford, I appreciate you so much for what you do, ty

[fleurosea]

I’ve been researching and learning about the Demeter/Persephone myth lately too! So this was perfect timing for me, I loved seeing the map and the changes in populations over time. I found that Hecate is tied up in the mythology of Demeter/Persephone as well, she is a three faced goddess, so together the three goddesses cover the maiden, mother, crone trinity. Hecate seems to reach further back in time.
And another thing I discovered was this drink that’s in the Demeter/Persephone poem Kyleon, which is basically flavoured barley water. It’s full of many nutrients and drinking it helps you stay full for longer, I can imagine this drink being an important part of getting through winter for agricultural communities who might run out of food. Fascinating how ancient religious stories are such a good store of knowledge, we’re missing out in our contemporary culture for sure!

[ripleyhrgiger]

I have been looking for a channel like this for so long. You're a great teacher! Thank you for the hard work and time you put in to educate and entertain us!

[fernandosanz]

One of your best videos!!!! And alsoI can´t help but smile every time you talk about a ¨future video¨...Your list must be enormous. Thank you very much, I´m already waiting eagerly for whatever you have in store

[papaversomniferum]

probably one of the most informative and interesting videos i‘ve seen in the last few weeks. love the details and the general narration. made me want to read all the books about mythology on my shelf again!

[Arrusoh]

I was just recommended this video. As someone massively into both history and mythology this was an amazing first impression of this channel. I love that stuff like this shows me that no matter how much I know there is always things I just don't know. Thank you so much for the amazing video. I will deffinatly be watching more. I can't wait to learn more and correct the things I had wrong

[hadriananton]

This is the first video I’ve watched from this channel and I must say I really enjoy the content. Though I have to make a small correction: When the Indo-European proto-Greeks (otherwise called Minyans) arrived in Greece the Mycenaean civilization wasn’t a thing. The Mycenaeans were actually the result of the proto-Greek populations mixing with the native Neolithic farmers of Greeks. They weren’t a Neolithic people since they were, in part, the descendants of those indo-European migrants. In other words the Mycenaeans didn’t precede the indo-European migration into the Balkans. The Minoans on the other hand were purely indigenous and related to the aforementioned Neolithic farmers of the mainland who were also the primary ancestors of the Mycenaeans