THE ARENOT

The Arenot were discovered in a remote section of north-central Turkey along the Noawa River which empties into the Black Sea. Most of our
knowledge of the Arenot is based on an analysis of their ceremonial complex excavated by the German Archaeologist Dr. Heinrich Dreckmuller.
The ceremonial complex was divided into two distinct halves, and eastern mound used for birth and puberty ceremonies and a western mound, associated with sacrifice and funeral rituals. Each of these four rituals is represented by a separate whistling vessel, the exact uses of which are unknown. In addition, many of the ceramic vessels represented discovered at the site are funerary offerings found with burials adjacent to the
western mound.

By contemporary standards, the Arenot were a dystopian society. They had an extemely dualistic cosmology through which they represented the forces of good and evil in constant tension. They also had some rather unconventional beliefs, including genital mutilation to make the penis more vulva-like and the vulva more penis-like. According to one account, they believed "because copulation is necessary to the creation on life, ritual necrophilia was necessary to the creation of the afterlife." Like many other ancient cultures, the Arenot practiced ritual sacrifice, with dogs as their primary offerings. While the exact role of dogs in their culture is unknown, a prevalent image on many of their ceramic vessels is the "dog eat dog" motif.

One of the most revealing artifacts about Arenot culture may be their funeral punchbowl. Archaeological data suggests that this vessel was used for
a communal suicide in roughly 1500 B.C.E. While the circumstances which precipitate this ceremony are unknown, they disappeared from the archaeological record after this date. For many, the funeral punch bowl of the Arenot serves as a clear testimonial to the self destructive nature of
their society.