. Ekroth and M. Carbon (eds.) From Snout to Tail: Exploring the Greek Sacrificial Animal from the Literary, Epigraphical, Iconographical, and Zooarchaeological Evidence, 233-254 , 2024
Evidence from Etruria and Greece suggests that sacrificial practices
involved a rich, flexible co... more Evidence from Etruria and Greece suggests that sacrificial practices involved a rich, flexible collection of activities. Most forms of animal sacrifice hinged on the manipulation of the animal body in some way, frequently with division or disarticulation. This article addresses the theoretical background to bodily division in studies of Greek sacrifice, before exploring Etruscan practices with a similar focus on partition and processing. From animal skins worn by haruspices to blood used in funer- ary rituals, the various animal parts had religious potency, symbolism, and social significance. Zooarchaeological material is crucial for recon- structing how the animal body was divided and employed, but the reli- gious use of organic portions, otherwise prone to decomposition, can be studied using other archaeological sciences such as lipid analysis. The sur- viving data suggests that Etruscans found religious value in skins, skulls, meat, bones, organs, and blood. This article utilizes, but also modifies, insights from David Frankfurter and Kathryn McClymond in order to theorize the efficacious aspects of sacrificial bodies, as well as procedural flexibility within sacrificial processes.
The Oxford Handbook of Roman Imagery and Iconography,edited by Lea K. Cline and Nathan T. Elkins, 2022
Roman iconography depicts religious practices, divine figures, mortal worshippers, and beliefs ab... more Roman iconography depicts religious practices, divine figures, mortal worshippers, and beliefs about the gods. Religious imagery reflects the importance of religion in Roman conceptions of the past, the fashioning of self-identity, and discursive practices. Representations of sacred spaces and occasions often emphasize their topographic arrangement within landscapes, giving religious imagery a strong sense of place. Inside sanctuaries, decorative imagery is augmented by iconography that facilitates ritual activity, illustrates cult-specific details, and shapes the experience of visitors. Religious iconography also highlights the contested natures of artifacts as well as the ways images enacted and reacted to social tensions. Although legal experts attempted to categorize the sacrality of images and artifacts, thoughts about an image’s status were mutable and rooted in personal experience and local factors. Many sacred images possessed agentive and talismanic properties, and manifested divine powers and presence.
Archiv für Religionsgeschichte v. 21-22, p. 127-151, 2020
Greek devotional activity from the eighth through third centuries included the accumulation of co... more Greek devotional activity from the eighth through third centuries included the accumulation of common votive types, many of which exhibited similar motifs and repetitive designs. This paper explores constructed assemblages by focusing on the dedication of objects featuring visual and iconographic "sameness." Building on the work of D. Morgan and J. González, this paper theorizes Greek votive accumulations as larger conglomerations that impact religious experience through the arti-facts' very number and ubiquity. Evidence from Athens and Corinth suggests that an individual's personal biography and past movements through the local landscape gave pervasive religious imagery a sense of familiarity and meaningfulness. While the appearance of ubiquitous votives may have been dictated by tradition and manufacturing realities, their use to create monumental votive deposits had phenomeno-logical impact. Drawing on evidence from treasury records and excavated material at a number of Greek sanctuaries, this paper argues that, when they formed assemblages of repetitive religious images, worshippers created larger, dynamic monuments out of individual items. The clustered offerings participated in an "aesthetics of accumulation ," visually and physically linking individuals to a network of other worshippers .
Despite emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects of ancient practice, Greek images and objects... more Despite emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects of ancient practice, Greek images and objects attest to private and personal encounters with divinities. This paper uses archaeological evidence to explore personal, lived features of ancient Athenian religious life. Although sometimes described as ‘transactional’, the development of personal relationships with the gods, together with the manipulation of material things, appears to be one of the most prominent elements in Greek religious experience. This paper examines religious materiality and devotional behavior as it existed outside of organizing systems, ritual, and sacred space. Greek evidence suggests that material culture was ‘religion’ in physical form, part of devotees’ methods for developing remarkably intimate relationships with holy figures in a process termed ‘devotionalism.’ Athenian women used a commonplace item from daily life as a form of religious media: the tainia (ribbon). Women employed them in all the places of their lives, including homes, festival sites, and shrines. Pottery also suggests that Athenians employed such devotional media to interact with the deceased in cemeteries.
. Ekroth and M. Carbon (eds.) From Snout to Tail: Exploring the Greek Sacrificial Animal from the Literary, Epigraphical, Iconographical, and Zooarchaeological Evidence, 233-254 , 2024
Evidence from Etruria and Greece suggests that sacrificial practices
involved a rich, flexible co... more Evidence from Etruria and Greece suggests that sacrificial practices involved a rich, flexible collection of activities. Most forms of animal sacrifice hinged on the manipulation of the animal body in some way, frequently with division or disarticulation. This article addresses the theoretical background to bodily division in studies of Greek sacrifice, before exploring Etruscan practices with a similar focus on partition and processing. From animal skins worn by haruspices to blood used in funer- ary rituals, the various animal parts had religious potency, symbolism, and social significance. Zooarchaeological material is crucial for recon- structing how the animal body was divided and employed, but the reli- gious use of organic portions, otherwise prone to decomposition, can be studied using other archaeological sciences such as lipid analysis. The sur- viving data suggests that Etruscans found religious value in skins, skulls, meat, bones, organs, and blood. This article utilizes, but also modifies, insights from David Frankfurter and Kathryn McClymond in order to theorize the efficacious aspects of sacrificial bodies, as well as procedural flexibility within sacrificial processes.
The Oxford Handbook of Roman Imagery and Iconography,edited by Lea K. Cline and Nathan T. Elkins, 2022
Roman iconography depicts religious practices, divine figures, mortal worshippers, and beliefs ab... more Roman iconography depicts religious practices, divine figures, mortal worshippers, and beliefs about the gods. Religious imagery reflects the importance of religion in Roman conceptions of the past, the fashioning of self-identity, and discursive practices. Representations of sacred spaces and occasions often emphasize their topographic arrangement within landscapes, giving religious imagery a strong sense of place. Inside sanctuaries, decorative imagery is augmented by iconography that facilitates ritual activity, illustrates cult-specific details, and shapes the experience of visitors. Religious iconography also highlights the contested natures of artifacts as well as the ways images enacted and reacted to social tensions. Although legal experts attempted to categorize the sacrality of images and artifacts, thoughts about an image’s status were mutable and rooted in personal experience and local factors. Many sacred images possessed agentive and talismanic properties, and manifested divine powers and presence.
Archiv für Religionsgeschichte v. 21-22, p. 127-151, 2020
Greek devotional activity from the eighth through third centuries included the accumulation of co... more Greek devotional activity from the eighth through third centuries included the accumulation of common votive types, many of which exhibited similar motifs and repetitive designs. This paper explores constructed assemblages by focusing on the dedication of objects featuring visual and iconographic "sameness." Building on the work of D. Morgan and J. González, this paper theorizes Greek votive accumulations as larger conglomerations that impact religious experience through the arti-facts' very number and ubiquity. Evidence from Athens and Corinth suggests that an individual's personal biography and past movements through the local landscape gave pervasive religious imagery a sense of familiarity and meaningfulness. While the appearance of ubiquitous votives may have been dictated by tradition and manufacturing realities, their use to create monumental votive deposits had phenomeno-logical impact. Drawing on evidence from treasury records and excavated material at a number of Greek sanctuaries, this paper argues that, when they formed assemblages of repetitive religious images, worshippers created larger, dynamic monuments out of individual items. The clustered offerings participated in an "aesthetics of accumulation ," visually and physically linking individuals to a network of other worshippers .
Despite emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects of ancient practice, Greek images and objects... more Despite emphasis on public, ritual-centered aspects of ancient practice, Greek images and objects attest to private and personal encounters with divinities. This paper uses archaeological evidence to explore personal, lived features of ancient Athenian religious life. Although sometimes described as ‘transactional’, the development of personal relationships with the gods, together with the manipulation of material things, appears to be one of the most prominent elements in Greek religious experience. This paper examines religious materiality and devotional behavior as it existed outside of organizing systems, ritual, and sacred space. Greek evidence suggests that material culture was ‘religion’ in physical form, part of devotees’ methods for developing remarkably intimate relationships with holy figures in a process termed ‘devotionalism.’ Athenian women used a commonplace item from daily life as a form of religious media: the tainia (ribbon). Women employed them in all the places of their lives, including homes, festival sites, and shrines. Pottery also suggests that Athenians employed such devotional media to interact with the deceased in cemeteries.
Uploads
Papers by K.A. Rask
involved a rich, flexible collection of activities. Most forms of animal
sacrifice hinged on the manipulation of the animal body in some way,
frequently with division or disarticulation. This article addresses the
theoretical background to bodily division in studies of Greek sacrifice,
before exploring Etruscan practices with a similar focus on partition and
processing. From animal skins worn by haruspices to blood used in funer-
ary rituals, the various animal parts had religious potency, symbolism,
and social significance. Zooarchaeological material is crucial for recon-
structing how the animal body was divided and employed, but the reli-
gious use of organic portions, otherwise prone to decomposition, can be
studied using other archaeological sciences such as lipid analysis. The sur-
viving data suggests that Etruscans found religious value in skins, skulls,
meat, bones, organs, and blood. This article utilizes, but also modifies,
insights from David Frankfurter and Kathryn McClymond in order to
theorize the efficacious aspects of sacrificial bodies, as well as procedural
flexibility within sacrificial processes.
with the gods, together with the manipulation of material things, appears to be one of the most prominent elements in Greek religious experience. This paper examines religious materiality and devotional behavior as it existed outside of organizing systems, ritual, and sacred space.
Greek evidence suggests that material culture was ‘religion’ in physical form, part of devotees’ methods for developing remarkably intimate relationships with holy figures in a process termed ‘devotionalism.’ Athenian women used a commonplace item from daily life as a form
of religious media: the tainia (ribbon). Women employed them in all the places of their lives, including homes, festival sites, and shrines. Pottery also suggests that Athenians employed such devotional media to interact with the deceased in cemeteries.
involved a rich, flexible collection of activities. Most forms of animal
sacrifice hinged on the manipulation of the animal body in some way,
frequently with division or disarticulation. This article addresses the
theoretical background to bodily division in studies of Greek sacrifice,
before exploring Etruscan practices with a similar focus on partition and
processing. From animal skins worn by haruspices to blood used in funer-
ary rituals, the various animal parts had religious potency, symbolism,
and social significance. Zooarchaeological material is crucial for recon-
structing how the animal body was divided and employed, but the reli-
gious use of organic portions, otherwise prone to decomposition, can be
studied using other archaeological sciences such as lipid analysis. The sur-
viving data suggests that Etruscans found religious value in skins, skulls,
meat, bones, organs, and blood. This article utilizes, but also modifies,
insights from David Frankfurter and Kathryn McClymond in order to
theorize the efficacious aspects of sacrificial bodies, as well as procedural
flexibility within sacrificial processes.
with the gods, together with the manipulation of material things, appears to be one of the most prominent elements in Greek religious experience. This paper examines religious materiality and devotional behavior as it existed outside of organizing systems, ritual, and sacred space.
Greek evidence suggests that material culture was ‘religion’ in physical form, part of devotees’ methods for developing remarkably intimate relationships with holy figures in a process termed ‘devotionalism.’ Athenian women used a commonplace item from daily life as a form
of religious media: the tainia (ribbon). Women employed them in all the places of their lives, including homes, festival sites, and shrines. Pottery also suggests that Athenians employed such devotional media to interact with the deceased in cemeteries.