Archeology of Religion

REL 3938, section 4293, Fall 2007

Turlington 2328, Tuesday periods 8-9 (3-5 pm) and Thursday period 9 (4:05-4:55 pm)

Course website: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/jneelis/classes/rel_3938.htm

 Vista: http://lss.at.ufl.edu/

 

Instructor: Dr. Jason Neelis

130 Anderson                         

Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2:30 pm and by appointment

Phone: 392-1625, ext. 240

e-mail: jneelis@religion.ufl.edu                         

 

Course description:

Archaeology of Religion explores a wide range of religious practices and ideas through investigations of excavated religious structures, inscriptions, manuscripts, art, and other cultural artifacts. This intermediate course investigates archeological manifestations of religions “on the ground” across a wide geographical range from prehistory to the present. In addition to global “world religions” (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), material contexts for specific local and regional traditions will also be studied. The interpretation of archeological remains can contribute to an understanding of a variety of themes and topics in the study of the history of religions, including:

  • Architecture of shrines (temples, stūpas, synagogues, mosques, churches)
  • Iconography of religious imagery
  • Establishment of monastic institutions  
  • Rituals of burial, sacrifice, offerings, etc.
  • Veneration of relics and other ‘cultic’ practices
  • Production and preservation of manuscripts by religious literary cultures
  • Localization and reproduction of sacred narratives
  • Ecological, economic, and social environments for propagation and transmission
  • Conversion patterns and missionary activities
  • Interactions between different religious communities
  • Religious patronage by various social groups
  • Patterns of pilgrimage and religious circulation
  • Women’s public and private religious roles
  • Dietary habits and daily customs related to religious distinctions
  • Religious life of diaspora communities
  • Methods for demarcating religious identity through names and symbols

Archeological sources sometimes confirm but more often challenge the viewpoints based on the interpretation of normative texts, which tend to receive greater emphasis in the field of religious studies. A comparative approach to archeological sources is intended to illuminate many basic aspects of religious cultures around the world which deserve more attention.

 

 

Course Goals:

  • Utilize archeological sources to clarify relationships between material contexts and textual traditions
  • Find common ground between archeological methods and theories of religious and cultural interpretation 
  • Explore religious dimensions of archeological sites by employing a ‘workshop’ approach to class discussions and group presentations

 

Textbook:

Timothy Insoll, ed. Archaeology and World Religion (Routledge, London/ New York: 2001) [abbreviated as AWR]

The primary textbook is available for purchase from Goerings Book Store (1717 NW 1st Ave.) and for checkout from Course Reserves at the circulation desk in Smathers Library West; the e-book is also available through the library catalog: http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/

Additional materials will be made available through the ARES Course Reserves system: https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu/

 

Requirements:

Group Presentations (Case Studies): 20 %

Due to the scope of the course, students will be asked (or volunteer) to contribute to Case Studies of various archeological sites in 10 Group Presentations during the semester. To prepare case studies which focus on the religious significance, a group with 2-3 participants will compile relevant information about relevant excavations, artistic remains, inscriptions, and literary references. In addition to making an oral presentation of 10-15 minutes each (including time for questions and discussion), individuals must submit a five page paper detailing the results of their own preparation efforts on the day of the presentation. A sign-up sheet for group presentations will be distributed during the third week of class. Suggestions for possible case studies in addition to those listed on the syllabus will be considered.

Research Paper: 40 %

A research paper (10 double-spaced typed pages in length) taking a thematic approach (for example, to one of the themes or topics listed in the course description) to the archeology of a particular religious tradition or cultural tradition is due at the final class meeting on December 4. Consult with the instructor about how to develop your research interests into a viable paper early in the semester. A thesis statement, preliminary outline, and brief bibliography should be turned in by November 1 in order to receive useful feedback.

In-class midterm identification and essay exam (October 4): 20%

Identification items and a brief essay question will test comprehension of the materials covered through the middle of the semester.

Take-home final exam: 20 %

Essay questions based on reading assignments, class discussions, and group presentations will be distributed during the final class. Responses must be submitted one week later (by December 11).

 

 

Evaluation:

Grades will be computed based on the percentages given above according to this scale -

A: 100 - 92, B+: 91-87, B: 86-81, C+: 80-76, C: 75-71, D+: 70-66, D: 65-61,

E: 60 or below

 

Attendance and Participation policy:

Attendance and contributions to discussions will be carefully monitored. After two unexcused absences, two points will be deducted for each additional unexcused absence (1 point will be deducted for each episode of tardiness). Leaving class early without the instructor's permission and disrespectful behavior will result in further deductions. Absences can be excused if written requests are submitted in advance or if written explanations are submitted with valid documentation. All students are expected to thoroughly prepare for class by completing the reading assignments in advance and to actively participate in class discussions. Inattentiveness and lack of participation will negatively affect the evaluation of performance in the class, while valuable contributions will be acknowledged and rewarded.

Academic Honesty guidelines at the University of Florida:

http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/studenthonorcode.php

Basically, “An academic honesty offense is defined as the act of lying, cheating, or stealing academic information so that one gains academic advantage.” Any offense of plagiarism, misrepresentation of original work, or other violation in any assignment will be reported and will result in a failing grade for the course.

Students with Disabilities needing classroom accommodation must register with the office of the Dean of Students, who will provide documentation to the instructor: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/ (also see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/supportservices/campuscounseling.php for other support services)

 

Topics and reading assignments (schedule is subject to change)

 

Week 1

Thurs. 8/23: Course Introduction

 

Week 2 (August 28-30)

Tues. 8/28: Models, Methods, and Sources for the study of the Archeology of Religion

Read: AWR chapter 1 (1-32)

Recommended: Arthur Demarest, “Archaeology and Religion” in Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., ed. Lindsay Jones (Macmillan, 2005), pp. 451-457 [e-book]

Thurs. 8/30: Case studies in archeology of religion: Religion and Art in Petroglyphs

Read: Selections from J. David Lewis-Williams, A Cosmos in Stone: Interpreting Religion and Society through Rock Art (AltaMira, 2002), pp. 163-190 and Henri-Paul Francfort, “Central Asian petroglyphs: between Indo-Iranian and shamanistic interpretations” in The Archaeology of Rock-Art (Cambridge, 1998), 302-318 [ARES]

Visit: Rock Carvings and Inscriptions along the Karakorum Highway (http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~u71/kara/welcome.html)

 

Week 3 (September 4-6) Sign up for Case Studies and Group Presentations

Tues. 9/4: South Asian Archeology

Read: AWR chapter 2 (33-48)

Thurs. 9/6: Indus Valley

Read: D.P. Agrawal, The Archaeology of India (Curzon, 1982), 135-167 and Elisabeth C.L. During Caspers, “Another Face of the Indus Valley Magico-Religious System” in South Asian Archaeology 1991 (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 1993), 65-86 [ARES]

Visit: http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html

 

Week 4 (September 11-13) Archeology of Hinduism

Tues. 9/11: Definition and periods

Read: AWR chapter 2 (48-60)

Thurs. 9/13: Case study (Mathura, Varanasi, or Vijayanagara) [Group Presentation 1]

Read: Richard Davis, “Lighting Lamps of Ghee: Inscriptions and the Reconstruction of Medieval Hinduism” in Religious Texts and Material Contexts, ed. Jacob Neusner and James F. Strange (University Press of America, 2001), 219-248 [ARES]

 

Week 5 (September 18-20) Archeology of Buddhism

Tues. 9/18: Stupas, monasteries, and donative practices

Read: AWR chapter 3 (61-80); Gregory Schopen, “Archaeology and Protestant Presuppositions in the Study of Indian Buddhism” in Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks (Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii, 1997), 1-22 [e-book]

Thurs. 9/20: Case study (Taxila or Bamiyan) [Group Presentation 2]

Read: AWR 81-95

Visit: Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project (http://depts.washington.edu/ebmp/ebmpintro.php)

 

Week 6 (September 25-27): Central Asian Archeology

Tues. 9/25: Silk Road Art and Archeology

Read: Herbert Härtel, Introduction to Along the Ancient Silk Routes: Central Asian Art from the West Berlin State Museums (New York: Abrams, 1982) [ARES]

Thurs. 9/27: Case Study (Khotan or Dunhuang) [Group Presentation 3]

Visit: Silk Road: Trade, Travel, War, and Faith and Buddhism on the Silk Road at the International Dunhuang Project website: http://idp.bl.uk/pages/education_students.a4d#3

and Silk Road Virtual Art exhibit: http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/exhibit/index2.html

 

Week 7 (October 2-4): East and Southeast Asian archeology and religions

Tues. 10/2: Visit to Harn Museum of Art (to be arranged)

Visit Museum websites: Asia Society (http://www.asiasocietymuseum.com/)

Musee Guimet (http://www.museeguimet.fr/-The-collections-)

Seattle Asian Art Museum (http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibitDetail.asp?WHEN=&eventID=4442)

 

Thurs. 10/4: In-class midterm exam

 

Week 8 (October 9-11) Near Eastern Archeology

Tues. 10/9: Second Temple period Judaism

Read: AWR Chapter 4 (96-111)

Thurs. 10/11: Case Study (Jerusalem or Jericho) [Group Presentation 4]

 

Week 9 (October 16-18) Archeology of Judaism, cont.  

Tues. 10/16: Jewish Diaspora Archaeology

Read: AWR Chapter 4 (112-122)

Thurs. 10/18: Case Study (Dura Europos or Qumran) [Group Presentation 5]

 

Week 10 (October 23-25) Archeology of Christianity

Tues. 10/23: Conversion and Circulation in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages

Read: AWR Chapter 6 (148-164)

Thurs. 10/25: Case Study (Palmyra, Rome, Antioch) [Group Presentation 6]

Read: Patrick Geary, “Sacred Commodities: The Circulation of Medieval Relics” in Living with the Dead in the Middle Ages (Cornell, 1994), 194-218 [e-book]

 

Week 11 (October 30 – November 1) Global expansion of Christian missions

Tues. 10/30: Read: AWR Chapter 6 (164-181)

Thurs. 11/1: Case study (Mission sites in the Americas) [Group presentation 7]

Read: E. Graham, “Mission Archaeology” Annual Reviews in Anthropology 27 (1998) 25-62

Turn in research thesis statement, preliminary outline, and brief bibliography

 

Week 12 (November 6-8) Archeology of Islam

Tues. 11/6: Read: AWR Chapter 5 (123-147)

Thurs. 11/8: Case Study (Baghdad or Cairo) [Group Presentation 8]

 

Week 13 (November 13-15) Contested issues in Archeology of Religion

Tues. 11/13: Ethics, Gender and the Archeology of Religion

Read: AWR Chapters 7-8 (182-202) and Gregory Schopen, “On Monks, Nuns, and ‘Vulgar’ Practices” in Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks (Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii, 1997), 238-257 [e-book]

Thurs. 11/15: Case Studies (open topic) [Group Presentation 9]

 

Thanksgiving week: no class

 

Week 14 (November 27-29) Thematic approaches to the archeology of religion

Tues. 11/27: Burial practices and other rituals

Read: AWR Chapter 9 (203-219)

Thurs. 11/29: Case Studies (Amerindian burial sites?) [Group Presentation 10]

Read: Patrick Geary, “The Uses of Archaeological Sources for Religious and Cultural History” in Living with the Dead in the Middle Ages (Cornell, 1994), 30-45 [e-book]

 

Week 15 (Tuesday, December 4) Final Class

Research paper due

Distribution of Final take-home essays (due Tuesday, December 11)