Sacrifice in the Bronze Age Aegean and Near East. A poststructuralist approach
Citation:
Laerke Recht, 'Sacrifice in the Bronze Age Aegean and Near East. A poststructuralist approach', [thesis], Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Department of Classics, 2011, pp 359, pp 238, pp 383Download Item:
Abstract:
The goal of this study is a better understanding of the practice of 'sacrifice' in the Bronze Age Aegean and Near East. This includes animal and human sacrifice, but not inanimate offerings. This has been done through collection and analysis of 'primary' material from all types of sources and data in order to gain as complete an understanding as possible: archaeological, iconographic and textual material. Electronic databases have been created, and the material has all been entered into these, which thus form the basis for further analyses, statistics and conclusions. These databases, both in their printed form as appendices, and as attached electronic (interactive) versions, are a substantial part of this thesis. They bring together all the known evidence for animal and human sacrifice from the two geographical areas, from the three different types of material. Further, they can be used independent of the main text of the study: the reader can make their own searches, conclusions and use the many references to gain further information on a specific archaeological site, object or tablet. The study of sacrifice has a very long history, and another major goal of this study has been to explore how this history influences the way the material is interpreted and what kind of assumptions lie behind specific interpretations. In order to reveal such influences and assumptions, a poststructuralist approach is applied. This means not only a discussion of some of the theories concerning sacrifice, beginning with Edward Tylor and ending with Nancy Jay, but also a careful reading of the modern texts of archaeologists and scholars. Through this approach, assumptions and hierarchical binary oppositions which are often based on modern perceptions rather than the ancient material, are uncovered and discussed. Specific poststructuralist ideas from the works of René Girard and Jean Baudrillard, are also applied to certain features of the material, suggesting new avenues of interpretation. More than anything, the material suggests that sacrifice was part of a great variety of rituals, performed for many different purposes - these include religious festivals and feasting, divination, treaties, the construction, reconstruction and destruction of buildings, and, not least, rituals associated with burials and the dead. The rituals involve many different species of animals, with sheep/goats emerging as the most commonly sacrificed animals. The treatment of sacrificed animals and humans also indicate great variety, perhaps based on species or the kind of ritual that the sacrifice was part of. Squids, dogs and humans, in particular, were often sacrificed whole, while in other instances, the head of the sacrificed animal appears to have had special importance. In modern interpretations, there is a tendency to view the material either in light of later, better known practices (such as those of later Greece or those known from the Bible) or of modern perceptions of social structures. Hierarchical oppositions, with one side being valued higher than the other, can be detected in some interpretations, based on such notions as burnt - unburnt, whole - partial, life - death, animal - human, and male - female. Without a basis in the primary material, such oppositions can lead to serious misunderstandings of ancient practices, and it is hoped that this study creates an increased awareness not only of the assumptions we bring to the material, but also of the way in which they colour our interpretations. Lastly, the application of Baudrillard's analysis of the relationship between the living and the dead to sacrifice in mortuary contexts, and of Girard's notions of the double to the many occurrences of heads, the depiction of frontal heads and the frequent mirroring of animals in images, provide a novel way of 'reading' the material. It should not, however, be seen as a final or as the only way of interpreting these features: clearly, the practice of sacrifice in the Bronze Age Aegean and Near East was too complex for a single, over-arching explanation.
Sponsor
Grant Number
Biblical Archaeology Society
Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Danish Institute at Athens
Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland)
Description:
Embargo End Date: 2022-01-01
Author: Recht, Laerke
Advisor:
Morris, ChristineQualification name:
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)Publisher:
Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland). Department of ClassicsNote:
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