Advanced Archaeology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion

Catalog description

The class offers an in-depth introduction to the Archaeology of Religion focusing on the theoretical framework of artifact agency. The course begins with a discussion of the role of material culture in society and religion (artifact agency theory) and then moves through a series of case studies that highlight important themes in the archaeology of religion. These themes include the Religion among the Earliest Paleolithic Cultures, Relationships between Houses and Temples, Sacrifice (Artifact, Animal and Human), New Religious Movements, and Witchcraft Persecution.