{"id":52573,"date":"2025-09-25T08:52:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=52573"},"modified":"2025-09-25T08:52:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T08:52:59","slug":"proto-cities-of-memory-trypillia-mohenjo-daro-and-the-choice-of-civilization-by-volodymyr-lakomov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/proto-cities-of-memory-trypillia-mohenjo-daro-and-the-choice-of-civilization-by-volodymyr-lakomov\/","title":{"rendered":"Proto-cities of Memory: Trypillia, Mohenjo-Daro and the Choice of Civilization – by Volodymyr Lakomov"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Volodymyr Lakomov<\/strong> (b. 1958) is a Ukrainian diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine (he represented Ukraine\u2019s interests as Ambassador to Angola (2004\u20132007), Brazil (2007\u20132010), and Pakistan (2012\u20132020)), and an expert of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.<\/p>\n

He specializes in political philosophy, global diplomacy, and cultural introspection. He is the author of studies dedicated to freedom in Timothy Snyder\u2019s interpretation, Ukraine\u2019s role in dialogue with the Global South, and the visual comprehension of contemporary concepts.<\/p>\n

In the depths of history, before imperial anthems were sung, there existed civilizations that chose another model of existence \u2014 harmonious, ritual, decentralized. Mohenjo-Daro on the banks of the Indus and the Trypillian settlements along the Dnipro \u2014 two cultures that did not seek to conquer the world but left a mark in its symbolic landscape.<\/p>\n

Mohenjo-Daro<\/strong> \u2014 a city with straight streets, public baths, and a complex drainage system. Architecture without palaces, without temples, without monarchs. As if a society that knew how to live without centralized power but with a high level of organization. Seals depicting bulls, unicorns, dancers \u2014 not as tools of power, but as signs of the inner world.<\/p>\n

Trypillia<\/strong> \u2014 not a city in the classical sense, but a proto-city: settlements that preceded urbanization yet already displayed features of complex social organization. A culture that built settlements in spiral form, ritually burned them, and rebuilt them anew. Pottery that speaks the language of ornament: spirals, waves, female figures. Here there were no imperial ambitions, but there was a deep metaphysics of the earth, fertility, and the cycle.<\/p>\n

Both civilizations disappeared<\/strong> \u2014 not because they were weak, but because they did not strive to become stronger than others. Their strength lay in symbol, in rhythm, in the ability to live without violence. They left behind no armies, but they left behind aesthetics. They did not create empires, but they created myth.This myth is alive.<\/p>\n

\"\"In 2014, Ukraine and Pakistan carried out a joint philatelic gesture:<\/strong> the release of a block of postage stamps \u201cMonuments of Ancient Cultures\u201d \u2014 the Trypillian culture and Mohenjo-Daro. This was not just philately \u2014 it was a symbolic dialogue between two peoples that remember their pre-colonial roots.<\/p>\n

On the Ukrainian version of the block \u2014 a deep visual symphony:<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the left \u2014 a Trypillian female figurine with raised arms, a painted bowl, a goblet with plant ornament. This is the image of fertility, cyclicality, earthly ethics.
\nOn the right \u2014 a Pakistani seal with a unicorn, a terracotta goddess figure, a toy cart with oxen. This is myth, trade, childhood, faith.<\/p>\n

In the background \u2014 fragments of pottery, petroglyphs from Kamyana Mohyla, ruins of the Mohenjo-Daro stupa, a scene of dancing figures. At the top \u2014 inscriptions in Ukrainian and English: Joint Issue \u201cUkraine \u2013 Pakistan.\u201d Nearby \u2014 national flags, coats of arms, and the visual equality of two cultures.<\/p>\n

This block is not just a stamp. It is a cultural declaration: about the dignity of pre-colonial civilizations, about the right to one\u2019s own model of development, about dialogue without domination. In a world where empires once again try to dictate the rules, Ukraine and Pakistan chose another path \u2014 memory, aesthetics, coexistence.<\/p>\n

In this context, Timothy Snyder\u2019s concepts become especially relevant \u2014 particularly his idea of the \u201cpolitics of memory\u201d as a struggle for the future. Snyder emphasizes: empires do not merely conquer territories \u2014 they rewrite the past. In his book The Road to Unfreedom, he shows how the idea of the \u201cend of history\u201d \u2014 the belief that ideas no longer matter \u2014 became an instrument of modern authoritarianism.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the recovery of pre-colonial narratives such as Trypillia is not archaism, but an act of historical resistance. It is a way to reclaim the right to another \u2014 non-imperial \u2014 vision of civilization.<\/p>\n

Today, as the world again balances between centralization and freedom, it is worth remembering these proto-cities. As an alternative. As a reminder that civilization is not only about power, but also about forms of coexistence. And that Ukraine, as the heir of Trypillia, has the right to its own model \u2014 not imperial, but humane.<\/p>\n

Ukrainian Version<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prot\u00f3-cidades da Mem\u00f3ria:<\/strong> Trip\u00edlia, Mohenjo-Daro e a Escolha da Civiliza\u00e7\u00e3o
\nVolodymyr Lakomov (n. 1958) \u00e9 diplomata ucraniano, Embaixador Extraordin\u00e1rio e Plenipotenci\u00e1rio da Ucr\u00e2nia (defendeu os interesses do pa\u00eds como Embaixador em Angola (2004\u20132007), Brasil (2007\u20132010) e Paquist\u00e3o (2012\u20132020)), al\u00e9m de especialista da Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Iniciativas Democr\u00e1ticas Ilko Kucheriv.<\/p>\n

Especializa-se em filosofia pol\u00edtica, diplomacia global e introspe\u00e7\u00e3o cultural. \u00c9 autor de estudos dedicados \u00e0 liberdade na interpreta\u00e7\u00e3o de Timothy Snyder, ao papel da Ucr\u00e2nia no di\u00e1logo com o Sul Global e \u00e0 compreens\u00e3o visual de conceitos contempor\u00e2neos.<\/p>\n

Nas profundezas da hist\u00f3ria, antes de soarem os hinos imperiais, existiram civiliza\u00e7\u00f5es que escolheram outro modelo de exist\u00eancia \u2014 harmonioso, ritual, descentralizado. Mohenjo-Daro \u00e0s margens do Indo e os assentamentos tripilianos \u00e0s margens do Dnipro \u2014 duas culturas que n\u00e3o buscaram conquistar o mundo, mas deixaram marcas no seu horizonte simb\u00f3lico.<\/p>\n

Mohenjo-Daro<\/strong> \u2014 uma cidade de ruas retas, banhos p\u00fablicos, complexo sistema de drenagem. Arquitetura sem pal\u00e1cios, sem templos, sem monarcas. Como se fosse uma sociedade capaz de viver sem poder centralizado, mas com elevado grau de organiza\u00e7\u00e3o. Selos com figuras de touros, unic\u00f3rnios, dan\u00e7arinas \u2014 n\u00e3o como instrumentos de poder, mas como sinais de um mundo interior.<\/p>\n

Trip\u00edlia<\/strong> \u2014 n\u00e3o uma cidade no sentido cl\u00e1ssico, mas uma prot\u00f3-cidade: assentamentos que precederam a urbaniza\u00e7\u00e3o, mas j\u00e1 apresentavam sinais de organiza\u00e7\u00e3o social complexa. Uma cultura que constru\u00eda povoados em forma de espiral, queimava-os ritualmente e renascia em seguida. Cer\u00e2mica que fala a linguagem do ornamento: espirais, ondas, figuras femininas. Aqui n\u00e3o havia ambi\u00e7\u00f5es imperiais, mas sim uma profunda metaf\u00edsica da terra, da fertilidade, do ciclo.<\/p>\n

Ambas as civiliza\u00e7\u00f5es desapareceram \u2014 n\u00e3o porque fossem fracas, mas porque n\u00e3o quiseram ser mais fortes que as outras. A sua for\u00e7a estava no s\u00edmbolo, no ritmo, na capacidade de viver sem viol\u00eancia. N\u00e3o deixaram ex\u00e9rcitos, mas deixaram est\u00e9tica. N\u00e3o criaram imp\u00e9rios, mas criaram mito.Esse mito permanece vivo.<\/p>\n

Em 2014, a Ucr\u00e2nia e o Paquist\u00e3o<\/strong> realizaram um gesto filat\u00e9lico conjunto: o lan\u00e7amento de um bloco de selos \u201cMonumentos das Culturas Antigas\u201d \u2014 a cultura tripiliana e Mohenjo-Daro. N\u00e3o se tratava apenas de filatelia \u2014 era um di\u00e1logo simb\u00f3lico entre dois povos que recordam as suas ra\u00edzes pr\u00e9-coloniais.<\/p>\n

Na vers\u00e3o ucraniana do bloco \u2014 uma profunda sinfonia visual:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00c0 esquerda \u2014 estatueta feminina tripiliana de bra\u00e7os erguidos, tigela pintada, c\u00e1lice com ornamento vegetal. \u00c9 a imagem da fertilidade, da ciclicidade, da \u00e9tica terrena.
\n\u00c0 direita \u2014 selo paquistan\u00eas com unic\u00f3rnio, figura terracota de deusa, carrinho de bois em miniatura. \u00c9 mito, com\u00e9rcio, inf\u00e2ncia, f\u00e9.<\/p>\n

Ao fundo \u2014 fragmentos de cer\u00e2mica, petroglifos da Pedra Mogila, ru\u00ednas da estupa de Mohenjo-Daro, cena com figuras dan\u00e7antes. No topo \u2014 inscri\u00e7\u00e3o em ucraniano e ingl\u00eas: Joint Issue \u201cUkraine \u2013 Pakistan\u201d. Ao lado \u2014 bandeiras nacionais, bras\u00f5es e a igualdade visual de duas culturas.<\/p>\n

Esse bloco n\u00e3o \u00e9 apenas um selo. \u00c9 uma declara\u00e7\u00e3o cultural: sobre a dignidade das civiliza\u00e7\u00f5es pr\u00e9-coloniais, sobre o direito a um modelo pr\u00f3prio de desenvolvimento, sobre o di\u00e1logo sem domina\u00e7\u00e3o. Num mundo em que os imp\u00e9rios voltam a tentar ditar regras, Ucr\u00e2nia e Paquist\u00e3o escolheram outro caminho \u2014 mem\u00f3ria, est\u00e9tica, conviv\u00eancia.<\/p>\n

Nesse contexto, os conceitos de Timothy Snyder tornam-se particularmente relevantes \u2014 sobretudo a sua ideia da \u201cpol\u00edtica da mem\u00f3ria\u201d como luta pelo futuro. Snyder sublinha: os imp\u00e9rios n\u00e3o apenas conquistam territ\u00f3rios \u2014 eles reescrevem o passado.<\/p>\n

No seu livro O Caminho para a Falta de Liberdade, mostra como a ideia do \u201cfim da hist\u00f3ria\u201d \u2014 a cren\u00e7a de que as ideias j\u00e1 n\u00e3o importam \u2014 tornou-se um instrumento do autoritarismo contempor\u00e2neo. Portanto, recuperar narrativas pr\u00e9-coloniais como a de Trip\u00edlia n\u00e3o \u00e9 arca\u00edsmo, mas ato de resist\u00eancia hist\u00f3rica. \u00c9 uma forma de recuperar o direito a outra \u2014 n\u00e3o imperial \u2014 vis\u00e3o de civiliza\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

Hoje, quando o mundo novamente oscila entre centraliza\u00e7\u00e3o e liberdade, vale recordar essas prot\u00f3-cidades. Como alternativa. Como mem\u00f3ria de que civiliza\u00e7\u00e3o n\u00e3o \u00e9 apenas poder, mas tamb\u00e9m forma de conviv\u00eancia. E que a Ucr\u00e2nia, como herdeira de Trip\u00edlia, tem direito ao seu pr\u00f3prio modelo \u2014 n\u00e3o imperial, mas humano.<\/p>\n

Earlier published in Ukrainian newspaper “Literaturna Ukrayina”<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Volodymyr Lakomov (b. 1958) is a Ukrainian diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine (he represented Ukraine\u2019s interests as Ambassador to Angola (2004\u20132007), Brazil (2007\u20132010), and Pakistan (2012\u20132020)), and an expert of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. He specializes in political philosophy, global diplomacy, and cultural introspection. He is the author of studies dedicated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[126,1115,7560,7563,7559,48,7561,7564,270,7562],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52573"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52579,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52573\/revisions\/52579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}