Förhistoriska bilder som religionsvetenskaplig källa : Några kriterier att beakta vid tolkningar av religionsikonografiskt material

• A challenge when interpreting prehistoric art is that we often lack written source material, a contemporary text written by people who lived in the cultural context that is studied. It is therefore not uncommon to use texts that are younger than the material that we want to interpret. This could lead to misinterpretations and circular arguments. Images are cultural products formed by their contemporaries and influenced by older idea traditions. This article presents four criteria that might be worth taking into consideration when interpreting prehistoric religious iconography. The article discusses how one might proceed to study prehistoric religious art and what could be helpful to keep in mind when analyzing religions by means of pictures and material culture. 

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Religionshistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- History of Religions (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Methodology

iconography

iconology

religious art

Old Norse religion

Celtic religion

Religionsvetenskap

Study of Religions

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)