Trypillians

The Trypillians, also known as Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, were a Neolithic civilization that flourished in the Dniester-Carpathian region of modern-day Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine between roughly 5500 and 2750 BCE. They are named after the village of Trypillia in Ukraine and Cucuteni in Romania, where their distinct pottery and settlements were first discovered.

These people were renowned for their sophisticated pottery, characterized by intricate geometric designs, often painted in red and white. They lived in large, densely populated settlements, some of which were among the largest in prehistoric Europe, featuring thousands of houses arranged in concentric circles. These settlements were often destroyed by fire and then rebuilt on the same spot, leading to significant archaeological mounds.

Trypillian society was primarily agricultural, cultivating crops like wheat and barley and domesticating animals such as cattle and sheep. While evidence of metallurgy, particularly copper, exists, their technology was predominantly based on stone and bone tools. Their social structure is believed to have been complex, with indications of organized labor and perhaps some form of social hierarchy, though definitive evidence is debated. The reasons for their eventual decline and disappearance remain a subject of archaeological research, with theories ranging from environmental degradation to assimilation by incoming Bronze Age groups.