1 / 26

The Archaeology of Ritual

The Archaeology of Ritual. Elizabeth Bollwerk, Museum of Culture and Environment, CWU. What We Will Cover…. What is ritual? Why is it important? How do archaeologists find it? Example: Archaeological evidence of Mississippian communities’ ritual activity

luann
Download Presentation

The Archaeology of Ritual

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Archaeology of Ritual Elizabeth Bollwerk, Museum of Culture and Environment, CWU

  2. What We Will Cover… • What is ritual? • Why is it important? • How do archaeologists find it? • Example: Archaeological evidence of Mississippian communities’ ritual activity • Activity – Material remains of our rituals

  3. Ritual What is ritual?

  4. Ritual • Ritual is a practice that follows a set of prescribed rules and has certain materials associated with it • These practices are often repeated

  5. Why are rituals important? • Rituals are an important part of the social fabric of communities • create social connections • maintain equilibrium and social order

  6. Types of Evidence • Mortuary practices • Landscapes • Structures • Iconography and ethnographic texts • Artifacts and ecofacts

  7. Mississippian Tradition AD 750-1500

  8. Mississippian Tradition AD 750-1500 • Tennessee, Cumberland, and Mississippi River Valleys • Large platform mounds • Town plazas • Stratified social organization • Major sites: Cahokia, Moundville, Spiro, Etowah

  9. Mortuary Practices • Burial configuration • Primary or secondary burial • Sex and age profiles • Studies of nutrition and disease

  10. Landscapes - Cahokia

  11. Landscapes - Cahokia • AD 850 – 1100 • Area of 6 square miles • Massive palisade around town: 15,000 logs • Up to 120 mounds

  12. Landscapes - Cahokia

  13. Landscapes - Cahokia

  14. Landscapes - Moundville • AD 1000 – 1500 • Black Warrior River, AL • 3000 people, 300 acres, 24 mounds Map by Karen Carr

  15. Structures

  16. Cahokia’s Woodhenge

  17. Cahokia’s Woodhenge

  18. Iconography – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Falcon Man Weeping Eye Mask Eagle Dancers Images courtesy of Frank McClung Museum

  19. Iconography – Southeastern Ceremonial Complex

  20. Artifacts – Chunkey Stones

  21. Chunkey Game • Originated around 600 AD in Cahokia • Involved spiritual preparation, including ritual scratching of skin • Played in huge arenas as large of 50 acres • Associated with bird/falcon man

  22. Ecofacts - Faunal Material • Faunal assemblages – collections of mammal, bird, and fish bones • For Cahokia fish were important, deer were secondary source of food

  23. Ecofacts - Botanical Remains • Nuts: Hazelnut, chestnut, walnut • Seeds – goosefoot, maygrass, and knotweed • Maize (corn)

  24. Activity What are the material remains of our rituals?

  25. Types of Evidence • Mortuary practices • Landscapes • Structures • Iconography and Ethnographic texts • Artifacts and Ecofacts

More Related