PAPVB_30 Archaeology and Religion

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2016
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Dr. Stefano Valentini (lecturer), Mgr. Inna Mateiciucová, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Měřínský, CSc.
Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucia Miškolciová
Supplier department: Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
Religion is based on a combined system of beliefs and practices that allows people to answer fundamental questions regarding human life (e.g., Who are we? Where are we coming from? Is there any life after death?). The creation of a direct link between practices and beliefs is even more evident in ancient societies where the construction of large religious structures (the temple) appears to be pivotal in the evolution of mankind. This course aims at following these foregrounds using archaeological data and historical sources to understand the evolution of religious beliefs and practices in the Old world. In so doing, the course will foresee what archaeology can tell us about religion and, more specifically, in defining theoretical and methodological answers to general questions, in understanding how architecture was used by ancient societies in creating their cosmological landscape, in interpreting the first appearance of the cult of family ancestors in ancient societies. Moreover, the course will explaining all the questions regarding the role of religious beliefs and practices through a coherent analysis of the archaeological remains of ancient religious material culture from prehistoric societies until the beginning of the classical period using archeological evidences of religious beliefs and practices in particular across the Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East. The course will be thus divided into an initial section dedicated to theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of religious thoughts, whereas the second part will be dedicated to a direct analysis of ancient religious architectures, written sources, and other examples of material culture that will contribute to a better understanding of the theoretical themes and topics encountered in the first part. OBJECTIVES, GOALS and OUTCOMES By the end of this course students should be able to demonstrate: • general knowledge of the key concepts drawn from sociology and anthropology that archaeologists use to help define and explain past religions and rituals. • capacity to find common ground between archeological methods and theories of religious and cultural interpretation. • concrete knowledge of the techniques and sources used to interpret evidence of religious belief and practices, and to clarify relationships between material contexts and rituals, cults and religious traditions. • familiarity with some case studies from different periods and areas of study, which illustrate religion and ritual.
Syllabus
  • CLASS SCHEDULE The contents of individual classes may be changed throughout the course or readjusted according to the class's progress. Students will be notified of changes at least one week before the course begins. Introduction - Time and Space: Chronology and Geography. Presentation of the course; Theory and Method - Problem of defining and theorizing Religion, Ritual and Cult in archaeology. - Basic genres of ritual activities: Rites of passage; Calendrical Rites; Rites of Exchange and Communion; Rites of Affliction; Feasting, Fasting, and Festivals. - Finding Ritual: calibrating the evidence. History of research - Antiquarian, evolutionary, and early archaeological approaches until the “New Archaeology”. - Contemporary approaches: post-processual approaches and cognitive processualism. Focus: The beginning of the Archaeology of Cult - Colin Renfrew and the case of the Sanctuary of Phylakopi (Milos, Greece). Sources for the study of the Archaeology of Religion I - The “Architectural Language” of Sacred Space I: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary space; Principles of Organization. Sources for the study of the Archaeology of Religion II - The “Architectural Language” of Sacred Space II: Orientation and Alignment; Scale and Proportion). - “Alternative” sources (texts and images). - Review for midterm exam. The World of the Shaman (1st case study) - Rituals in Cave: Art, Mythology and Religion of the complex paintings of the Deer Cave of Porto Badisco (Apulia, Italy). “Architecture” of Religion (2nd case study) - From Cave to Village: the oldest human-made places of worship. - Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic Anatolia: Cult Buildings and Ceremonial centre at Göbekli, Nevalı Çorı and Çatalhöyük. “Architecture” of Religion (3rd case study) - Sacred Mountains and Houses of Eternity: Ziqqurats and Pyramids. “Architecture” of Religion (4th case study) - Small scale Temples. A rural approach to the complex Ancient Near Eastern religious architecture. - Sacred Spaces in Upper Mesopotamia during the Early Bronze Age (3000-2500 B.C.). - Ceremonial Places in East Anatolia during the Middle Bronze Age (2000-1500 B.C.) Face to Face with God - The origins of Judaism: from the Patriarchs to the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem. - The origins of Christianity: the Qumran Dead Sea Scrolls. - Muhammad and the Birth of Islam.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • E. Kyriakidis (ed.), 2007. The Archaeology of Ritual. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute Publications.
  • S. R. Steadman 2009. Archaeology of Religion. Cultures and their Beliefs in Worldwide Context. Walnut Creek (California): Left Coast Press
  • The Oxford handbook of the archaeology of ritual and religion. Edited by Timothy Insoll. First published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, xxvi, 1108. ISBN 9780198858058. info
Teaching methods
Teaching methods include: lectures, In-class discussion and group activities, and to a lesser extent seminars. Preparation through assigned readings, and participation in class, are essential elements of the course and will impact on the Final Grade.
Assessment methods
Participation/Discussion: the active interest in the subject matter, the intensity of individual research and reading, the quality of discussion and question/answer sessions will be evaluated throughout the entire course. Such relevance can only be assured through intense and regular pre-reading activity, study and research. Research Papers: students will have to complete 1 written assigned research papers containing a minimum of 1.200 words each. The paper will have to be handed before the exam. In the paper, students will demonstrate their ability to analyze key concepts from sociology and anthropology that archaeologists use to help define and explain past religions and rituals. In the paper students can also discuss one of the case studies examined in class. Papers must follow standards for college research papers in terms of format, citation system, and so forth; further instructions will be dispensed during the lessons. Final Exam (written or oral): list of essay questions based on reading assignments, and in-class lectures.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2013, Spring 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2016, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2016/PAPVB_30