Дисертація на здобуття наукового ступеня кандидата історичних наукза спеціальністю 26.00.01 «Теорія та історія культури» за напрямом – історичнінауки. – Національна академія керівних кадрів культури і мистецтв, Міністерствокультури України. – Київ, 2019.Дисертація є дослідженням семантичного значення водної стихії в комплексіатрибутів культу материнського божества давніх цивілізацій.У роботі розкрито специфіку зародження культу Великої Богині відперіоду палеоліту (40–30 тисяч років тому) і його історичний розвиток до появипатріархальної форми організації суспільства у ранній залізний вік (IV ст. н.е.).^UThe dissertation for obtaining a scientific degree of the candidate of historicalsciences in the specialty 26.00.01 "Theory and History of Culture" in the direction -historical sciences. – National Academy of Cultural and Arts Leaders, Ministry ofCulture of Ukraine. – Kyiv, 2019.The thesis is a study of the semantic value of the water element in the complexof attributes of the cult of the maternal deity of ancient civilizations.The work reveals the specifics of the birth of the cult of the Great Goddessfrom the Paleolithic period (40–30 thousand years ago) and its historical developmentuntil the appearance of the patriarchal form of organization of society in the earlyIron Age (IV century AD). It was found out that the cult of the Great Goddess hasalready acted and remains the object of research in domestic and foreign historicalscience. However, this historical cultural phenomenon was studied mainly in someaspects and did not distinguish the complex of attributes of the cult, and especiallythe mythology and spiritual content of motherhood, and the semantic significance ofthe water element associated with it. In the writings of the scientists there were raisedproblems of the formation and development of the cult of the Great Goddess; hisexistence in different cultures of the ancient world; manifestations and itssignificance for society; the development and spread of worship in other cultures;Problems of the theory and methods of its research. It is established that in modernhistorical science there is no comprehensive study of the phenomenon of motherhoodand water element in the cult of the Great Goddess of ancient civilizations.This interdisciplinary study is devoted to the study of the semantics of thewater element in the cult of the maternal deity of ancient beliefs. The appearance ofviews on nature in the maternal aspect is due to the circumstances of the developmentof the man himself and mankind as a whole. This is due to the fact that theenvironment dictated the conditions for the formation of the original worldview, andman was not separated from nature and was an integral part of it.The cult of the Great Goddess in the beliefs and mythology of ancientcivilizations, in particular, Ancient Europe, the East, Asia Minor, ancient civilization,beliefs of the early Slavs, was investigated. The components of the cult of the GreatGoddess interact, complement each other and are constantly in numerous systemicand extra-system bonds, ensuring the functioning and development of ancient society.The content of motherhood and water element is developed as an archaic symbol ofthe source of life in the cult of the maternal deity.Based on the study and analysis of archaeological, historical and culturalsources of material sources, the epistemology and preconditions for the emergence ofthe cult of the Great Goddess, which include the foundations of the socialorganization of people, are closely related to the natural environment, the formationof consciousness that forms the basis of the birth of diverse ideas about theconstruction of the world and ideological ideas.