![]() Signs inscribed on clay suggest a system of primitive notation, if not writing. Female "goddess" figurines, found in almost every settlement, have triggered intense debates about the ritual and political power of women. Pottery, figurines, and even houses were decorated with striking designs. ![]() The demand for copper, gold, Aegean shells, and other valuables created networks of negotiation that reached hundreds of kilometers. The metal artifacts recovered by archaeologists from Old Europe total about 4,700 kilograms (more than five tons) of copper, and over 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) of gold, more metal by far than has been found in any other part of the ancient world dated before 3500 bc. ![]() Old European metalsmiths were, in their day, among the most advanced metal artisans in the world, and certainly the most active. Some Old European villages grew to citylike sizes, larger than the earliest cities of Mesopotamia. At its peak, about 5000–3500 bc, Old Europe was developing many of the political, technological, and ideological signs of "civilization". ![]() In 4500 bc, before the first cities were built in Mesopotamia and Egypt, Old Europe was among the most sophisticated and technologically advanced places in the world. Karanovo culture ceramic vessel, 6th millennium BC, Stara Zagora Neolithic Dwellings Museum ![]()
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