Cover

Half-title

Title

Copyright

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Contributors

1 Probing religion at Catalhoyuk: An interdisciplinary experiment

Introduction to the project

History and background of the project

Conducting the dialogues on religion and spirituality

1. How can archaeologists recognize the spiritual, religious and transcendent in early time periods?

2. Are changes in spiritual life and religious ritual a necessary prelude to the social and economic changes that lead to ‘civilization’?

3. Do human forms take on a central role in the spirit world in the early Holocene, and, if so, does this centrality lead to new conceptions of human agency that themselves provide the possibility for the domestication of plants and animals?

4. Do violence and death act as the foci of transcendent religious experience during the transitions of the early Holocene in the Middle East, and are such themes central to the creation of social life in the first large agglomerations of people?

Conclusions

REFERENCES

2 The symbolism of Catalhoyuk in its regional context

Introduction

Neolithic phallocentrism

Dangerous, wild things

Piercing and fleshing the body

The house

Conclusions

REFERENCES

3 Spiritual entanglement: Transforming religious symbols at Catalhoyuk

Matter, spirit and the bounds of religion

Ian Hodder’s theory of material entanglement

Robert Neville’s theory of religious symbols

Toward an interdisciplinary theory of spiritual entanglement

QUESTION 1: HOW CAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS RECOGNIZE THE SPIRITUAL, RELIGIOUS AND TRANSCENDENT IN EARLY TIME PERIODS?

QUESTION 2: ARE CHANGES IN SPIRITUAL LIFE AND RELIGIOUS RITUAL A NECESSARY PRELUDE TO THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES THAT LEAD TO “CIVILIZATION”?

QUESTION 3: DO HUMAN FORMS TAKE ON A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE SPIRIT WORLD IN THE EARLY HOLOCENE, AND, IF SO, DOES THIS CENTRALITY LEAD TO NEW CONCEPTIONS OF HUMAN AGENCY THAT THEMSELVES PROVIDE THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS?

QUESTION 4: DO VIOLENCE AND DEATH ACT AS THE FOCI OF TRANSCENDENT RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE DURING THE TRANSITIONS OF THE EARLY HOLOCENE IN THE NEAR EAST, AND ARE SUCH THEMES CENTRAL TO THE CREATION OF SOCIAL LIFE IN THE FIRST LARGE AGGLOMERATIONS OF PEOPLE

Conclusion

REFERENCES

4 Coding the nonvisible: Epistemic limitations and understanding symbolic behavior at Catalhoyuk

I

II

III

IV

Conclusion

REFERENCES

5 Modes of religiosity at Catalhoyuk

Introduction

The theory of modes of religiosity

Low-frequency, high-arousal rituals at Catalhoyuk

Mystery cult at Catalhoyuk

Religious coalitions at Catalhoyuk

The emergence of the doctrinal mode at Catalhoyuk

Conclusions

REFERENCES

6 Is there religion at Catalhoyuk…or are there just houses?

A cautious introduction

Catalhoyuk houses

Zafimaniry houses

Toward theory: House-based societies

Why humans might be tempted to create, again and again, house-based societies

Dangerous further steps

What about religion?

REFERENCES

7 History houses: A new interpretation of architectural elaboration at Catalhoyuk

Quantitative analysis

Discussion

REFERENCES

8 Marked, absent, habitual: Approaches to Neolithic religion at Catalhoyuk

Art, religion and utility

Religious ideas?

Elements of religion

The marked and the absent

Killing and displaying wild animals

Burials and habitual life in the house

Subjects and their objects

Toward a materialist semiotics

REFERENCES

9 Temporalities of “religion” at Catalhoyuk

Materiality and temporality

Catalhoyuk temporalities

Tracing the “religious”

THE FALLACY OF “SYMBOLISM”

THE FALLACY OF “RELIGION”

To tell a story

Temporalities of “religion” at Catalhoyuk

THE LIFE SPAN OF THE SETTLEMENT

THE LIFE SPAN OF A HOUSE SEQUENCE AND THE LIFE CYCLE OF A HOUSE

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A HOUSEHOLD

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A HUMAN BEING

ANNUAL, SEASONAL AND OTHER INTRA-ANNUAL CYCLES

DAILY ROUTINES AND RHYTHMS

Conclusion

REFERENCES

10 The Neolithic cosmos of Catalhoyuk

Time

TIME, CHANGE AND ENDURANCE IN GENERAL

THE PAST

THE FUTURE

Space

SHAPE OF THE COSMOS AT LARGE

HOUSES, ENTRIES AND FLOOR PLANS

A PLACE TO LIVE

Humans and other beings

Conclusions

REFERENCES

11 Magical deposits at Catalhoyuk: A matter of time and place?

From religion to magic

Articulating magic at Catalhoyuk

MAGICAL MATERIALITIES

MAGICAL COMBINATIONS

MAGICAL MOMENTS AND PLACES

Conclusion: Magical orders

REFERENCES

12 Conclusions and evaluation

1. How can archaeologists recognize the spiritual, religious and transcendent in early time periods?

2. Are changes in spiritual life and religious ritual a necessary prelude to the social and economic changes that lead to ‘civilization’?

3. Do human forms take on a central role in the spirit world in the early Holocene, and, if so, does this centrality lead to new conceptions of human agency that themselves provide the possibility for the domestication of plants and animals?

4. Do violence and death act as the foci of transcendent religious experience during the transitions of the early Holocene in the Middle East, and are such themes central to the creation of social life in the first large agglomerations of people?

Concluding summary

1. HOW CAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS RECOGNIZE THE SPIRITUAL, RELIGIOUS AND TRANSCENDENT IN EARLY TIME PERIODS?

2. ARE CHANGES IN SPIRITUAL LIFE AND RELIGIOUS RITUAL A NECESSARY PRELUDE TO THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHANGES THAT LEAD TO ‘CIVILIZATION’?

3. DO HUMAN FORMS TAKE ON A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE SPIRIT WORLD IN THE EARLY HOLOCENE, AND, IF SO, DOES THIS CENTRALITY LEAD TO NEW CONCEPTIONS OF HUMAN AGENCY THAT THEMSELVES PROVIDE THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS?

4. DO VIOLENCE AND DEATH ACT AS THE FOCI OF TRANSCENDENT RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE DURING THE TRANSITIONS OF THE EARLY HOLOCENE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND ARE SUCH THEMES CENTRAL TO THE CREATION OF SOCIAL LIFE IN THE FIRST LARGE AGGLOMERATIONS OF PEOPLE?

Evaluation

REFERENCES

Index