An Archaeology of Religion

Kit W. Wesler

Archaeologists have been increasingly turning their attention to the study of religion, but the field so far has lacked a cross-cultural overview. This text challenges archaeological conventions by refusing to respect the geographic and temporal boundaries with which archaeologists too often define their field. Worldwide in range and comparative in perspective, this exploration is guided by several fundamental questions: how do we recognize religion in the archaeological record? When should we recognize the first activities we call religious? What distinguishes a world religion? How can we see the formations of modern world religions in the archaeological record? An Archaeology of Religion begins with the first glimmers of what might be considered religious expression in the Paleolithic period and concludes with the complexities of world religions today. This book is an ambitious attempt to survey how scholars approach the identification of religious sites and practices in the archaeological record.

University Press of America

Pages: 356 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-0-7618-5845-4 • Hardback • April 2012 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

978-0-7618-6336-6 • Paperback • March 2014 • $49.99 • (£38.00)

978-0-7618-5846-1 • eBook • April 2012 • $47.50 • (£37.00)

Subjects: Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology, Religion / Comparative Religion, Religion / Cults, Religion / History

An Archaeology of Religion

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Archaeologists have been increasingly turning their attention to the study of religion, but the field so far has lacked a cross-cultural overview. This text challenges archaeological conventions by refusing to respect the geographic and temporal boundaries with which archaeologists too often define their field. Worldwide in range and comparative in perspective, this exploration is guided by several fundamental questions: how do we recognize religion in the archaeological record? When should we recognize the first activities we call religious? What distinguishes a world religion? How can we see the formations of modern world religions in the archaeological record? An Archaeology of Religion begins with the first glimmers of what might be considered religious expression in the Paleolithic period and concludes with the complexities of world religions today. This book is an ambitious attempt to survey how scholars approach the identification of religious sites and practices in the archaeological record.

Details

University Press of America

Pages: 356 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-0-7618-5845-4 • Hardback • April 2012 • $114.00 • (£88.00)

978-0-7618-6336-6 • Paperback • March 2014 • $49.99 • (£38.00)

978-0-7618-5846-1 • eBook • April 2012 • $47.50 • (£37.00)

Subjects: Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology, Religion / Comparative Religion, Religion / Cults, Religion / History

Author

Kit W. Wesler is professor of archaeology and director of the Mid-America Remote Sensing Center at Murray State University in Kentucky. He completed a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has served as a Fulbright professor and researcher at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and the University of the West Indies, Jamaica.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction and Definitions
Chapter 2. Grave Issues
Chapter 3. Shamanism
Chapter 4. Neolithic
Chapter 5. Gods and Temples
Chapter 6. Archaeology of Hinduism
Chapter 7. Archaeology of Buddhism
Chapter 8. Archaeology of Judaism
Chapter 9. Archaeology of Christianity
Chapter 10. Archaeology of Islam
Chapter 11. Archaeology of Pilgrimage
Chapter 12. Cults, Regional Cults, and World Religions
References

An Archaeology of Religion

Kit W. Wesler

An Archaeology of Religion

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