The ‘Supreme Ultimate’ diagram of Taoism, the Taijitu of Yin and Yang dates back in China to around a coupke of thousands years ago, yet its origins can be found much earleir in the cultures of Cucuteni and Trypillia dating to around 7,000 years ago, early European cultures.

The motif is also known from later European cultures such as the Etruscans and Celts, but as can be read on Wiki it is generally considered these did not have the ᴀssociated schools of metaphysical thought that the Chinese had.

What i’ll demonstrate here is the extent of the Cucuteni-Trypillian school of cosmological/metaphysical. thought.The name of this civilization was conventionally established by archaeologists, according to the villages of Cucuteni (in Romania, near Iaşi) and Trypillia (in Ukraine, near Kiev), where, by the end of the 19th century, where there were for the first time discovered painted ceramics and fired clay statuettes – categories of items which became symbols of this ancient civilisation.

During the more than one hundred years which past since their discovery, these archaeological settlements entered the specialized scientific literature worldwide. We are in the front of a civilization spreading over about 350.000 sq km, with thousands of settlements of various dimensions, proto-cities of hundreds of hectares, with large fortification systems, with dwellings of various types, from the simple huts to the two storey-constructions, with a ceramicware within which the usefulness is harmoniously combined to the aesthetic aspect, much over the usual specificity of the time, with a fascinating religion, whose traces are marked by idols and cult items of a deep symbolism, whose ritual functionality represents another subject of interpretation

The basis of the symbolism of these cultures is found in cosmology, the place of man within the greater pattern and dynamism of the Earth and Heavens, and the most fundamental aspect was the observance of the anti-clockwise rotatin of the skies of the Northern hemisphere around Celestial North, and the clockwise rotation of the Southern hemisphere,

In conjunction with this observance, they also noted principle points of rising upon the horizon, portals or gateways of the sun, planets and stars, and the tracking of pathways across the horizons, all seen above in conjunction with the small stepped motif which indicates ‘place of establishment’ in terms of portal/rising point.

Again a small piece such as seen below will be indicating these interests, the spiral concerned with the rotation of the hemispheres, the portal sign translation across the horizons.
The concern with movement also gives rise to understanding of time and seasons, in the piece below Ursa Major is seen represented four-square, the four positions it would rotate through on the daily basis, as well as the four positions it would appear in over the quarters of the year, the solstices and equinoxes.

Related to this the worlds oldest swastika is Cucuteni, marking this turning through the four quarters.

Also represented was Ursa Minor seen in triple form around Celestial North, this was ᴀssociated with the three principle points of transition across the horizon, the two solstice points and singular equinox point of rising, and the essential triad of Earth, Underworld and Heavens being of a singular Unity.

These factors were interwoven into complex symbolism as seen below, were the three portals of the horizon are represented, with Sєxual ᴀssociation, they also concened themselves with the arc curvature of the ecliptic and galactic planes, the relationship and interconnectivity of these.When one has understood then what these cultures were concerned with, the rotation of the hemisphers, the transition across the horizons, the three levels of Earth/Underworld/Heaven, one can begin to make sense of their craftwork and symbolism, it is there to be read and understood;

In some ways these pieces might remind one of Egyptian representations of the Amduat, with the various levels and gateways within the Underworld, the basis is the same, in the Cucuteni-Trypillian examples one sees much more interest in the complexities of arc curvature however, the shifting relationship of the ecliptic and galactic planes which provided means of access into and transition through the Underworld, their art is not abstract it is diagramatic;

The cosmological symbolism also translated onto the human form, thus the man was in harmony with the pattern of the Heavens, man was the driving force of the bull, the female ᴀssociate with the sensual curvature of the feline and the myriad complexities of the bee…certainly they had a Divine couple had stood over the triple gateways of the horizon and the sun rose between them in perfect harmony….

The context for the ‘Supreme Ultimate’ symbol is that it is seen on a shrine, these were painted red’black/white representing Earth/Underworld/Heavens respectively, and in origin can be traced back to Catal Hoyuk, below are the Cucuteni-Trypillian version;

The Akhet type twin mountain symbolism of the horizon can also be seen within, but these are very intriguing when compared with drawings from Catal Hoyuk,

The little ‘black underworld type demon figure’ also finds comparison on Cucuteni-Trypillian ceramics;

A fringe benefit in these interests in the rotating of the Heavens and the dynamic driving force of the bull is that they also invented the wheel…