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School of Archaeology and Anthropology · ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
The study of ancient religion and ritual presents unique challenges to the archaeologist. In the absence of writing, religious ideas tend to be expressed indirectly and symbolically. Such manifestations of religion can be difficult to accurately interpret, however, doing so correctly offers exciting potentials for understanding prehistoric thoughts and beliefs. In this course we will examine origins and development of religion. We will survey archaeologies of world religions and determine the materiality of sacred and secular ritual expression. We shall explore rituals associated with death such as sacrifice, mummification and cannibalism; shamanistic practices as shown in rock art from Kazakhstan to cave art in France and Spain; the rise of "fertility cult" figurines from Czech Republic to Malta; totemic beliefs and ancestor worship in Torres Strait and ritual landscapes surrounding Stonehenge.
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 34 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 22 hours of lectures and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities. b) 96 hours of independent student research, reading and writing Where possible you should attend all lectures and tutorials, there will be material given out in these that you will not obtain elsewhere. Should you miss lectures it is critical that you listen to these on Wattle. Other Information The course will include field-trips.
Steadman, S. 2009. The archaeology of religion: Cultures and their beliefs in worldwide contexts. California, Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press Preliminary Reading Wesler, K. 2012. An archaeology of religion. Lanham: University Press of America Insoll, T. 2009. Archaeology, ritual, religion. London, New York: Routledge Insoll, T. (ed.) Oxford Handbook of The Archaeology of Ritual and Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press