Anthropology, Ancient History, Comparative Religion, Social Sciences 

1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTING, by Geoffrey Ashe, published by Henry Holt, 1992. Publisher's statement: "The idea of an earthly paradise, usually associated with divinity and beginnings, has fascinated poets, philosophers, and scholars for centuries. But what is the evidence for the legends and beliefs that some say underlie an egalitarian golden age? Geoffrey Ashe, a noted historian and a specialist in mythology, sifts the evidence in this pioneering study that serves as an interim report on what contemporary scholars can tell us about the Paleolithic substratum of Western civilization. Of special interest is the author's examination of the Goddess version of history. Far more than partisan myth, there is new archaeological evidence--supported by radiocarbon dating--for Goddess-worshipping pre-Indo-European communities in Eastern Europe/Asia, the Balkans, and Crete; civilization that evolved without benefit of immigrants of Near Eastern origins. The cultural seedbed from which "matristic"religion seems to have sprung goes back 25,000 years, and is seen to be located in the Altai Mountains near Lake Baikal, where Siberia meets Mongolia. The archaeological evidence, including ancient Venus figurines, suggests the existence of Goddess-worshipping cultures that were once spread over a wide extent of the Eurasian landmass." - from Amzon