Religion in the Emergence of Civilization
Catalhoeyuek as a Case Study
1st Edition
Published on 24. January 2011
978-0-511-98484-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book presents an interdisciplinary study of the role of spirituality and religious ritual in the emergence of complex societies. Involving an eminent group of natural scientists, archaeologists, anthropologists, philosophers, and theologians, this volume examines Catalhoeyuek as a case study. A nine-thousand-year old town in central Turkey, Catalhoeyuek was first excavated in the 1960s and has since become integral to understanding the symbolic and ritual worlds of the early farmers and village-dwellers in the Middle East. It is thus an ideal location for exploring theories about the role of religion in early settled life. This book provides a unique overview of current debates concerning religion and its historical variations. Through exploration of themes including the integration of the spiritual and the material, the role of belief in religion, the cognitive bases for religion, and religion's social roles, this book situates the results from Catalhoeyuek within a broader understanding of the Neolithic in the Middle East.
Reviews / Votes
'This collection is an excellent illustration of the current preoccupations of archaeologists interpreting lost civilizations, and of the potential fruits of a collective approach by social scientists to understanding human beliefs.' -TLSMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cambridge University Press
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 22 Halftones, unspecified; 21 Line drawings, unspecified
File size
12,21 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-511-98484-6 (9780511984846)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2010
Cambridge University Press
€96.70
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Book
08/2010
Cambridge University Press
€42.20
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Ian Hodder is Dunlevie Family Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. He was recently awarded the Huxley Medal by the Royal Anthropological Institute and is the author of various books, including, most recently, The Leopard's Tale: Revealing the Mysteries of Catalhoeyuek (2006).
Content
1. Probing religion at Catalhoeyuek: an interdisciplinary experiment Ian Hodder; 2. The symbolism of Catalhoeyuek in its regional context Ian Hodder and Lynn Meskell; 3. Spiritual entanglement: transforming religious symbols at Catalhoeyuek LeRon Shults; 4. Coding the non-visible: epistemic limitations and understanding symbolic behavior at Catalhoeyuek Wentzel van Huyssteen; 5. Modes of religiosity at Catalhoeyuek Harvey Whitehouse and Ian Hodder; 6. Is there religion at Catalhoeyuek ... or just houses? Maurice Bloch; 7. History houses: a new interpretation of architectural elaboration at Catalhoeyuek Ian Hodder and Peter Pels; 8. Marked, absent, habitual: approaches to Neolithic religion at Catalhoeyuek Webb Keane; 9. Temporalities of religion at Catalhoeyuek Peter Pels; 10. The Neolithic cosmos of Catalhoeyuek Paul Wason; 11. Magical deposits at Catalhoeyuek: a matter of time and place? Carolyn Nakamura; 12. Conclusions and evaluation Ian Hodder.
