KLA_104 Archaeological evidence for ancient cult and religion

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Jan Šeiner (lecturer)
Mgr. Ing. Monika Zobková Koróniová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Věra Klontza, Ph.D.
Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Jitka Šibíčková
Supplier department: Department of Archaeology and Museology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Tue 18:00–19:40 M11, except Tue 16. 4.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The main objectives of the course are to inform the student about archaeological evidence of ancient religiousness, cultic or religiously motivated activities. Some of the lectures are dealing with theoretical and methodological problems concerning the study of archaic religious traditions, and introduction of various approaches to their study in classical archaeology, archaeology and religious studies. In terms of time and culture, the interpretation primarily focuses on the period of Roman hegemony in the Mediterranean region and the corresponding proto-historical period in Central and Northern Europe. The partial aim of the course is also to familiarize students with the potential and limits of archaeological sources, including a critical and multidisciplinary approach to their study. The first part of the course therefore aim at general theoretical and methodological approaches to the issue of „religion(s)“ and their specifics in regards to archaeological material; then, in the second part are the discussed findings and problems demonstrated on the example of Old Germanic religious traditions.
Learning outcomes
After completion of the course, student will be able to:
- orientate oneself in the main thematic areas and their theoretical and methodological frame
- define the basic characteristics of cult and religious activities and recognize their potential signs in archaelogical record
- understand the problem of religious traditions in archaic societies, their connections and relationships with other components of culture and their typical general features as well as culture-specific manifestations within the studied area
Syllabus
  • 1.-2. Archaeological theory and the study of archaic religions
  • 3.-4. Basics of science of religions and theories of religion
  • 5. „Archaeology of religions“ – basic problems, possibilities and limitations, examples
  • 6. Literary sources for the religious traditions of Northern Barbarians – context, critique, dispersion
  • 7. Cosmology, mythology and pantheon of the Germanic peoples - evidence
  • 8. Sacrifices, offering practices and votives
  • 9. Sacred places – sacrificial sites, shrines, „temples“, altars
  • 10. Funeral rites, eschatology and unusual burial practices
  • 11. Religious performers – sacrificers, priests, shamans and sorcerers – evidence and equipment
  • 12. Syncretic and mystery cults on the Roman borders, religions of Gauls, Thracians and the questions of continuity and mutual influences
Literature
    required literature
  • ELSCHEK, Kristian – RAJTÁR, Ján – VARSIK, Vladimír. Sepulkrálny objekt zo Zohora. In: Droberjar, E. (ed.): Archeologie barbarů 2010: hroby a pohřebiště Germánů mezi Labem a Dunajem. Studia Archaeologica Suebica I. Olomouc, 133-151.
  • TRIGGER, Bruce G. A history of archaeological thought. 2nd pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009, xx, 710. ISBN 9780521600491. info
    recommended literature
  • BORBONUS, D. 2014: Columbarium tombs and colective identity in Augustan Rome. New York: Cambridge university Press.
  • BEARD, Mary, John NORTH and Simon PRICE. Religions of Rome. Vol. 1, A history. 1st publ. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998, xxiv, 454. ISBN 0-521-30401-6. info
  • BEARD, Mary, John NORTH and Simon PRICE. Religions of Rome. Vol. 2, A sourcebook. 1st publ. Cambridbe: Cambridge University Press, 1998, xiv, 416 s. ISBN 0-521-45015-2. info
  • DAVIES, P. J. E. 2004: Death and the emperor. Roman imperial funerary monuments from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. Cambridge - New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • ELIADE, Mircea. Dějiny náboženského myšlení II. Od Gautamy Buddhy k triumfu křesťanství. Praha: Oikúmené, 2014.
  • FRIESEN, S.J. Twice Neokoros: Ephesus, Asia and the Cult of the Flavian Imperial Family. Leiden: E.J.Brill, 1993.
  • KREITZER, L. Apotheosis of the Roman Emperor. The Biblical Archaeologists, Vol. 53, No. 4, 210 – 217.
  • GRADEL, Ittai. Emperor Worship and Roman Religion. New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. info
  • ZANKER, P. The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus. Michigan: The University of Michigan Press, 1990.
    not specified
  • FISHWICK, Duncan. The Imperial Cult in the Latin West: Studies in the Ruler Cult of the Western Provinces of the Roman Empire. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1991. Vol 2, 2. info
  • TOYNBEE, J. M. C. Death and Burial in the Roman World (Aspects of Greek and Roman Life). Baltimore: Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1971. ISBN 0-500-40015-6. info
Teaching methods
lectures supported by pictorial (PPT) presentation, class discussion about the addressed topics
Assessment methods
active attendance, written thesis, oral exam
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 0.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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