| New Course for Fall 2009! The Archaeology of Religion (ANT 7620) |
| Description |
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the archaeological study of religion. we will explore a wide range of religious practices and ideas through the investigation of excavated religious structures, sacred sites, inscriptions, manuscripts, art, iconography, artifacts, and special contexts from deep prehistory up till the recent past.
Archaeological approaches to religion will be reviewed with particular attention given to the importance of ethnographic analogy. Major archaeological examples will be drawn from throughout the world and across the temporal span ranging from deep Paleolithic in Europe to the Neolithic in the Near East to Africa, Asia, the Arctic, and the ancient Americas. Important topics include: shamanism, animism, the origins of symbolic behavior, sacred landscapes, rock art, temples and henges, cult centers, archaeoastronomy, and the potential significance of religion in a variety of social, historical, and political contexts.
Meets: Fall semester - Wednesdays, 1:55 - 4:40
Instructor: Tamara Bray ac9791@wayne.edu |
