Diversity of sacrifice : form and function of sacrificial practices in the ancient world and beyond / edited by Carrie Ann Murray.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

University of Buffalo. Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology.

Murray, Carrie Ann, 1976- editor.

Series:

University of Buffalo. Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology. Conference. IEMA proceedings ; Volume 5.

Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology Distinguished Monograph Series

IEMA Proceedings ; Volume 5

Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology distinguished monograph series.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sacrifice--Europe--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Sacrifice.

Sacrifice--Meditarranean Region--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Social archaeology--Europe--Congresses.

Social archaeology.

Social archaeology--Meditarranean Region--Congresses.

Archaeology and religion--Europe--Congresses.

Archaeology and religion.

Archaeology and religion--Meditarranean Region--Congresses.

Material culture--Europe--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Material culture.

Material culture--Meditarranean Region--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Social interaction--Europe--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Social interaction.

Social interaction--Meditarranean Region--History--To 1500--Congresses.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (292 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Explores sacrificial practices across a range of contexts from prehistory to the present. The term 'sacrifice' belies what is a complex and varied transhistorical and transcultural phenomenon. Bringing together scholars from such diverse fields as anthropology, archaeology, epigraphy, literature, and theology, Diversity of Sacrifice explores sacrificial practices across a range of contexts from prehistory to the present. Incorporating theory, material culture, and textual evidence, the volume seeks to consider new and divergent data related to contexts of sacrifice that can help broaden our field of vision while raising new questions. The essays contributed here move beyond reductive and simple explanations to explore complex areas of social interaction. Sacrifice plays a key role in the overlapping sacred and secular spheres for a number of societies in the past and present. How religious beliefs and practices can be integral parts of life on individual and community levels is of fundamental importance to understanding the past and present. In addition to aiding scholarly research, Diversity of Sacrifice enables students to explore this rich theme across Europe and the Mediterranean with clear discussions of theory and data"--From publisher's website.

Contents:

Contents; Illustrations; Introduction: The Value and Power of Sacrifice; Issues of Sacrifice in Scholarship; Themes in Scholarship; The Role of Violence; The Role of Meat in Animal Sacrifice; Framework of the Conference; Themes Explored in the Volume; Part I: Defining and Redefining the Boundaries of Sacrifice; Part II: Sacrifice across the Mediterranean World; Part III: Exploring Exceptional Cases of Sacrifice; Part IV: Formularizing and Regularizing Sacrifice; Considerations Raised through Discussion; Estimating Value; The Effects of Social Power; Importance of Setting; Final Thoughts

AcknowledgmentsReferences Cited; PART I: Defining and Redefining the Boundaries of Sacrifice; Chapter One: Anthropology and Sacrifice; Early Theories; Anthropological Truths and Exceptions; What Else Can We Say?; Acknowledgments; Note; References Cited; Chapter Two: A View from a Fen On the Concept of Sacrifice and the Possibility of Understanding Neolithic Wetland Depositions; The Hindbygården Fen; Sacrifice in Archaeology-Some Underlying Problems; Practice Theory; Ritual in Practice Theory; Embodied Practice and Objectification; Time and the Significance of the Past

Relationships and Structures Created at the Hindbygården FenThe Late Mesolithic; The Early Neolithic; The Middle Neolithic; The Late Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age; A View from a Fen; References Cited; Chapter Three: Gifts from the Gods A New Look at Some Weapons and Vessels from the Metal Ages; Deliberate Depositions of Metalwork; Depositions of Golden Weapons; Depositions of Precious Vessels; Precious Objects Coming from the Otherworld; References Cited; Chapter Four: Post-Domestic Sacrifice Exploring the Present and Future of Gifts for the Gods; Animal Others; Conclusion

AcknowledgmentsReferences Cited; PART II: Sacrifice across the Mediterranean World; Chapter Five: Every Good and Pure Thing Sacrifice in the Ancient Egyptian Context; Royal Offerings: Patronage; Sacrifice in the Mortuary Context; Votive Behavior Associated with Temple Contexts; The Humble Weskhet-dish; Abydos: A Case Study; Conclusions; References Cited; Chapter Six: The Mythology of Carthaginian Child Sacrifice A Physical Anthropological Perspective; The Founding of Carthage and its Tophet; The Case for Carthaginian Child Sacrifice; Written Evidence

The Carthaginian Tophet: 1976-79 ExcavationsUrns and Urn Contents; Conclusion; Acknowledgments; References Cited; Chapter Seven: The Art of Ancient Greek Sacrifice Spectacle, Gaze, Performance; In Search of Sacrifice; The Sacrificial Gaze?; Performing Sacrifice; Sacrificial Spectacle; Acknowledgments; References Cited; Chapter Eight: Etruscan Human Sacrifice The Case of Tarquinia; The Special Case of Tarquinia; Cult Activity; Reasons for Etruscan Human Sacrifice; Appendix: The Ten Individual Burials: A Guide to the Evidence; 1. No. 566 (also C 189

also 293). Epileptic child, late ninth century B.C.E. (EarlyVillanovan/Iron Age). Found in 1985.

Notes:

"Papers from a conference held as the annual symposium for the Institute for European and Mediterranean Archaeology (IEMA) at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, in 2011."

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781438459967

1438459963