Capturing Ritual Practice: An attempt to harmonize archaeological method and theory

• One of the greatest challenges for the archaeology of ritual and religion is to find ways to connect theoretical developments with the archaeological record. This article explores the possibilities of synchronizing archaeological methods and theories in our search for understanding ritual in the past through a concrete case study of a Mesolithic cemetery in Southern Scandinavia. The author argues that in order to take on this challenge, it is not enough to find a useful theoretical toolbox, nor is it enough to problematize existing methods of field work and analysis. In order to complement new theoretical and critical insights, we must find and apply methods that can be articulated both with the theoretical concepts and the archaeological record itself. In this article the author proposes a combination of theories of practice and embodiment with taphonomic methods of excavation and analysis that focus on recovering details of the handling of the body during the ritual, as a comprehensive approach for understanding and reflecting on mortuary ritual in archaeology.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

ritual

archaeological method

archaeological theory

practice theory

Publikations- och innehållstyp

kap (ämneskategori)

vet (ämneskategori)