Religion and Material Culture: Studying Religion and Religious Elements on the Basis of Objects, Architecture, and Space
Proceedings of an International Conference held at the Centre for Bible and Cultural Memory (BiCuM), University of Copenhagen and the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, May 6-8, 2011
Abstract
This book investigates the relationship between religion and material culture in prehistoric and historic settings.
Archaeologists, scholars of religion, theologians, and ancient historians explore the role of material culture in religion, in both the historical period and before. With points of departure in theory, method, and empirical evidence, the following questions are addressed: What types of material culture characterize “religion” as such? Is it possible to identify “religion” (in historical as well as prehistoric times) on the basis of material culture alone? How did the gradual invention of various forms of material culture - graves, images, objects, space, paraphernalia - make it possible for certain religious expressions to arise and to be constructed?
On one hand, the objective of the project is to expand the field of the history of religion beyond written texts. On the other hand, with regards to the prehistoric sources, looking to the material evidence rather than conceptual models allows us to discuss religion on the basis of the archaeological data, an important step forward.
