Votive offerings Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Votive objects or ex-votos are a broad category of material artifacts produced with the intention of being offered as acts of faith. Common across historical periods, religions, and cultures, they are presented as tokens of gratitude for... more

Votive objects or ex-votos are a broad category of material artifacts produced with the intention of being offered as acts of faith. Common across historical periods, religions, and cultures, they are presented as tokens of gratitude for prayers answered, as well as the physical manifestation of hopes and anxieties. Agents of Faith explores votive offerings in the context of material culture, art history, and religious studies to better understand their history and present-day importance. By looking at what humans have chosen to offer in their votive transactions, this volume uncovers their most intimate moments in life and questions the nature, role, and function of one of the most fundamental aspects of the relationship between people and things—the imbuing of objects with sentiment. Encompassing exquisite works of art as well as votives of humble origin and material, with objects dating from 2000 B.C. to the twenty-first century, the beautiful illustrations and wide-ranging text expose the global reach of votive practices and the profoundly personal nature behind their creation.

The results of the analysis of hair remains from a hunter-gatherer grave from northern Patagonia are presented in this paper. One of the samples analyzed consisted in hair that remained attached to the hide used to manufacture a small... more

The results of the analysis of hair remains from a hunter-gatherer grave from northern Patagonia are presented in this paper. One of the samples analyzed consisted in hair that remained attached to the hide used to manufacture a small pouch left in the burial pit as a funerary offering. The second sample was taken from the inside of the same pouch. The hair taxonomic determination was performed by considering cross-sections of the hairs, the patterns of the medulla, and the shape and disposition of the cuticle scales by microscopic observation of molds of the hair surfaces. Samples were identified as Lagidium viscacia and Homo sapiens, respectively. These results provide the first evidence of both the exploitation of small mammal (Lagidium) hide and the offering of human hair in a grave, among Patagonian hunter-gatherers.

Vengono presentate tre campagne di scavo archeologico condotte alla Sella del Valoria, il valico della Cisa in epoca romana repubblicana e tardoantica

ABSTRACT: This lecture, which forms part-1 of two parts, includes a discussion and illustration of the following topics: (1) How the Ancient Egyptians conceived of the tomb and its component parts; (2) How a typical middle-upper class... more

ABSTRACT: This lecture, which forms part-1 of two parts, includes a discussion and illustration of the following topics: (1) How the Ancient Egyptians conceived of the tomb and its component parts; (2) How a typical middle-upper class family prepared their tomb; (3) What problems emerged regarding mortuary cults (e.g., continuity of offerings; security; etc.) and how they they resolved them (in part); (4) Ancient Egyptian beliefs about communicating with dead (including how they communicated); (5) Egyptian views upon reusing earlier tomb materials and actual practices (i.e., Did they still do it? Discourage it?); (6) Some of the Ancient Egyptian private (and royal) mortuary/funerary beliefs; (7) Some of the mummification practices during the Old Kingdom; (8) Old Kingdom (and later) Egyptians beliefs and approaches to death, mourning, and funerals; (9) Further discussion on private/elite afterlife beliefs (i.e., what happened after death?); (10) How the surviving family initiated and maintained a funerary cult for relatives; (11) Some of the ideal types of mortuary offerings (i.e., by the living …); (12) The various types of “back-up,” permanent offerings for the deceased; (13) Evidence for some historical autobiographical texts and other data (and their types); (14) Some doubts are sometimes implied (especially later) regarding the afterlife; and (15) The "typical" elite mastaba tomb layout/components (e.g., Burial; False door; Serdab). UPDATED: Extensive editing, formatting, and some additions on March 12, 2023.

The paper discusses the relationship between votive coroplastic and ritual systems, through the analysis of Late Classic and Hellenistic terracottas from Metaponto representing a Nymph with Pan or Silenos. A functional approach to the... more

The paper discusses the relationship between votive coroplastic and ritual systems, through the analysis of Late Classic and Hellenistic terracottas from Metaponto representing a Nymph with Pan or Silenos. A functional approach to the problem, based on the examination of numerous and different archaeological contexts, allows us to understand the original aspect of rituals and how the worshippers participated in the sacred ceremonies. It also lets us understand the possible internal transformation of the devotional forms in an evolving society.

Udgravning ved en helligkilde, der har været i anvendelse fra middelalderen og op til nyere tid. Herved fundet mønter, lerkarskår, glasskår, knapper m.v., der vidner om aktiviteter i tilknytning til kilden. Fundene er først og fremmest... more

Udgravning ved en helligkilde, der har været i anvendelse fra middelalderen og op til nyere tid. Herved fundet mønter, lerkarskår, glasskår, knapper m.v., der vidner om aktiviteter i tilknytning til kilden. Fundene er først og fremmest efterreformatoriske.

From workshop to sanctuary and grave. New trends in the study of Greek terracottas. Research on Greek terracottas has been considered for a long time as a minor field of Art History. Things are now changing with new approaches. The... more

From workshop to sanctuary and grave. New trends in the study of Greek terracottas. Research on Greek terracottas has been considered for a long time as a minor field of Art History. Things are now changing with new approaches. The accurate restitution of technical mass-production processes reveals a handicraft to some extent comparable with modern industry, which was capable of spreading its products very quickly through the whole Mediterranean (e.g. the so called “rhodo-ionian” koine during the Archaic period, or the famous Tanagra style during the Hellenistic period). This phenomenon puts the question of the signification of the most widely received terracotta types, specially when offered in sanctuaries or placed in graves: in this field new answers – more mortals, lesser divinities! – shed new light on votive and funerary practices and more generally ancient Greek religion. [Original French text of the paper published in Hungarian : Okor 8, 2009, vol. 2, pp. 62-69]

This paper revisits some of the Roman-period discoveries made on Bullock Down, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. It aims to re-assess some of these discoveries and to update interpretations made in the past. As an example, this paper... more

This paper revisits some of the Roman-period discoveries made on Bullock Down, near Eastbourne, East Sussex. It aims to re-assess some of these discoveries and to update interpretations made in the past. As an example, this paper considers the unexpected signs of wealth recovered from one of the two farmstead sites.

Version française de l'article publié Archaeological Reports 64 (2017-2018), p. 153-169. À travers 30 ans de bibliographie, état de la recherche sur la coroplathie grecque, qui s’est constituée en domaine de recherche autonome. Les... more

Version française de l'article publié Archaeological Reports 64 (2017-2018), p. 153-169.
À travers 30 ans de bibliographie, état de la recherche sur la coroplathie grecque, qui s’est constituée en domaine de recherche autonome. Les principales nouveautés concernent d'abord l'examen des modalités de fabrication (généralisation de l'étude des séries, recherches sur la polychromie) et de diffusion (formation de koinès), qui font de la coroplathie un artisanat étonnamment moderne, ainsi que l’approche spatiale des ateliers et celle des artisans par l’épigraphie. Quant à la fonction des figurines dans les contextes votifs et funéraires, elle est désormais éclairée par l'approche anthropologique : naguère encore considérées comme de simples bibelots, les figurines de terre cuite deviennent aujourd'hui un élément incontournable de l'archéologie de la religion grecque.

In some Funen cemeteries from the Roman Iron Age weapons, personal equipment and tools have been buried without connection to specific graves. In many cases the objects have been burnt and/or destroyed before the deposition. At several... more

In some Funen cemeteries from the Roman Iron Age weapons, personal equipment and tools have been
buried without connection to specific graves. In many cases the objects have been burnt and/or destroyed
before the deposition. At several cemeteries deposits of clay pots and in one case parts of a Roman bronze
cauldron have also been uncovered. These different types of deposits from the cemeteries are often published
as cenotaphs or badly preserved graves. However, the handling of the objects and the circumstances
of the deposits have close parallels in sacrifices from settlements and wetlands. Therefore, it is tempting
to interprete at least some of the deposits from cemeteries as sacrifices, while others can be understood
as the burial of objects which were considered "contaminated" or taboo. Seen in connection with other
structures in the Roman period cemeteries (funeral pyres, mortuary houses, roads, cooking pits, etc.) the
deposits reflect that burial sites were not used for funerals exclusively. They were central sites or scenes
where a diversity of activities related to burial rituals and ancestor cult were exercised.

Grâce à des exemples empruntés à l'Antiquité (Grèce) puis à l'époque contemporaine (Espagne, Wallonie, Grèce), on s'est attaché à comprendre comment le rite votif a pu évoluer au sein des manifestations de piété populaire. En Grèce... more

Grâce à des exemples empruntés à l'Antiquité (Grèce) puis à l'époque contemporaine (Espagne, Wallonie, Grèce), on s'est attaché à comprendre comment le rite votif a pu évoluer au sein des manifestations de piété populaire.
En Grèce antique, le fonctionnement cultuel d’un sanctuaire a souvent été étudié dans son ensemble en tenant compte au mieux des divinités concernées et du personnel fonctionnaire, mais plus rarement des grands types de donateurs. Jamais néanmoins, on n'a observé de façon systématique ce qui fait le fondement même de la piété, c'est-à-dire les ex-voto. Quel type d'offrande donnait-on ? Pour quel motif ? Autant de questions auxquelles il a fallu tenter de répondre pour dégager les grands traits de ce rite de dédicace.
En passant ensuite à une étude diachronique comparatiste, il s'est agi de souligner combien la coutume de l'offrande est encore prégnante aujourd'hui : du Nord de la Grèce à l'Espagne en passant par la Wallonie ou Chypre, si les ex-voto changent parfois, la démarche, les motivations et les lieux de dépôt demeurent les mêmes. On note d'ailleurs que la frange entre la superstition, la magie et la religion est toujours aussi mince aujourd'hui que dans l'Antiquité.
C'est donc une pérennité de la démarche cultuelle qu'il est intéressant de démontrer ici, au travers des textes antiques mentionnant les realia, et des objets votifs déposés actuellement dans les lieux de culte.

Roman helmets with face-masks constitute a category of military equipment that is rare and at the same time spectacular. They imitate human heads, bare or helmeted; rich decorations include mythological motives and apotropaic elements.... more

Roman helmets with face-masks constitute a category of military equipment that is rare and at the same time spectacular. They imitate human heads, bare or helmeted; rich decorations include mythological motives and apotropaic elements. Moreover, they are often made of precious bronze and sometimes even silvered. Those qualities make them focus the attention both of specialists working on Roman military equipment and the wide public.
Several such masks were found on the territory of Roman Dacia. Two were found in the river Olt and are believed to have been washed away from military sites. Another comes from a ditch of the Roman fort Gilău and has been interpreted as having been lost by its owner. All are believed to have been used as parade equipment by Roman cavalrymen. All belong to a rare category of helmets representing female heads.
However, it seems improbable that the loss of an item of that size and value would have remained unnoticed, and that it could be easily washed away by the river - remembering also the scarcity of such finds both within the province and the whole Empire. A study of religious practices of Roman military allows us to propose a re-interpretation of these artifacts. Rather then lost pieces of parade equipment we should probably view them as offerings deposited by members of the military or whole units to ensure the success of their various undertakings. This not only matches their findspots well, but also finds several analogies in the context of finds outside of Dacia.

Ritual Practices of the Pomeranians in the Early Middle Ages. An Archaeological Study

A large scale research project Celtic Coin Finds from Switzerland has recently been published. The assessment shows numerous aspects of the diverse coin use in regional, chronological and functional respect. Some of the results are... more

A large scale research project Celtic Coin Finds from Switzerland has recently been published. The assessment shows numerous aspects of the diverse coin use in regional, chronological and functional respect. Some of the results are presented here.

Les fouilles extensives menées dans l’aire maya ont mis au jour tout un ensemble de dépôts rituels associés aux édifices. Cette connexion entre dépôts et architecture est soulignée par le caractère intentionnel de leur placement au sein... more

Les fouilles extensives menées dans l’aire maya ont mis au jour tout un ensemble de dépôts rituels associés aux édifices. Cette connexion entre dépôts et architecture est soulignée par le caractère intentionnel de leur placement au sein des structures. L’Acropole Nord de Tikal a révélé de nombreuses étapes de construction et dépôts rituels depuis le Préclassique moyen (800 av. J.-C.), jusqu’au Classique terminal (950 apr. J.-C.). La succession d’offrandes dans l’espace comme dans le temps peut donc être lue sous la forme d’une séquence.
Une relecture des anciennes fouilles conduites de 1958 à 1966 par le Projet Tikal sous la direction de W. Coe, a permis d’établir un corpus de 298 dépôts rituels et 125 traces de feux. Après une superposition des séquences architecturales et de déposition, les offrandes sont caractérisées en fonction de leur position stratigraphique (période de construction, d’occupation et d’abandon). Regroupées en « assemblages d’offrandes », elles sont ensuite observées selon des critères spatiaux, typologiques et statistiques.
Les autres catégories de dépôts, feux et sépultures, sont également analysées en regard de l’histoire architecturale. Enfin, ces témoins rituels sont interrogés sur une base plus émique, à la recherche d’indices concernant le sens que leurs accordaient les Mayas. En définitive, certains types d’offrandes récurrentes et de feux rituels font certainement partie de cérémonies liées au bâti, lors de l’inauguration puis de l’occupation d’un espace ou dans un but apotropaïque. D’autres ont probablement une agentivité propre, peut-être comme média vers l’inframonde, ou portent des pétitions différentes aux entités non-humaines.

Gaul’s annexation into the Roman Empire in the mid-first century B.C.E. caused the development of new religious practices, including the practice of offering votive objects representing either parts of the body or the entire body at... more

Gaul’s annexation into the Roman Empire in the mid-first century B.C.E. caused the development of new religious practices, including the practice of offering votive objects representing either parts of the body or the entire body at healing sanctuaries. This practice was not simply a Roman import; healing votives of this type had all but disappeared in Italy at the time of Roman annexation of Gaul. Because dedicants offered representations of themselves, analysis of this assemblage provides insight into the demographics of worshippers and offers a unique way to study the choices of women, especially non-elite women who are often archaeologically invisible. Representational healing votives are a highly appropriate medium through which to study gendered experiences of colonialism in Roman Gaul because women and men have differential access to power in colonial environments; colonial self-representations inevitably reflect colonial power dynamics. Analysis of differences between male- and female-gendered votives provides a means to study colonialism as a gendered experience. Analysis reveals gendered differences in several dimensions of this votive practice including body parts represented, materials most commonly used, and preferred artistic style. Differences in votive practice between urban and rural sanctuaries are also addressed. The results of this analysis provide insight into how women and men responded differently to the colonial power dynamic in Roman Gaul.

Volume 1 des actes du colloque d'Izmir. Il regroupe 32 contributions, regroupées en deux parties. La première , intitulée "De la fabrication à la collection et à l'étude" envisage les officines, les techniques et outils de production, la... more

Volume 1 des actes du colloque d'Izmir. Il regroupe 32 contributions, regroupées en deux parties. La première , intitulée "De la fabrication à la collection et à l'étude" envisage les officines, les techniques et outils de production, la diffusion et la constitution de koinès, et enfin l'étude et les collections. La deuxième partie, intitulée "Centre de production", est consacrée aux produits et répertoire de différentes régions productrices, en Grèce propre, en Éolide, Ionie et Carie, et enfin aux marges du monde classique.