Religious Complex Research Articles

Colluvial slope agriculture in context: An extensive agricultural landscape along the slopes of Punalu‘u Valley, O‘ahu Island, Hawai‘i

Archaeological research on traditional Hawaiian agriculture has generally focused on two primary strategies: irrigated pondfield and intensive dryland cultivation. However, other cultivation strategies, such as colluvial slope agriculture, were practiced but have been less intensively studied and remain poorly understood. To begin to remedy this paucity of information, a joint education and research project between International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc., the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) Department of Anthropology, and Kamehameha Schools (KS) was conducted in Punalu‘u Ahupua‘a to examine an integrated slope agricultural, religious, and residential complex. Subsurface investigations and radiometric dating indicate that initial vegetation clearing of the area may have occurred as early as the late thirteenth to early fifteenth centuries AD. As early as the fifteenth century, some stands of economic trees were growing, which may have coincided with initial placement of boundary walls along some portions of the slopes. Major expansion of the surface agricultural infrastructure along the landscape occurred through the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries AD. Religious structures and associated features were built as early as the seventeenth century and later. These results situate colluvial slope agriculture within the broader context of traditional Hawaiian agronomic strategies and political and social processes across the Hawaiian archipelago.

Women and Weasels: a Medico-religious Approach to Maternity in a Republican City of Lazio

Medicine and magico-religious practices went hand in hand in Greco-Roman societies, because they attached enormous importance to divine manifestations. Insofar as the gods were present everywhere and in all circumstances, it was necessary to scrupulously respect the rituals which were practised in their honour. Without these rituals, peace with the gods could be disrupted. In the town of Palestrina (Lazio), a votive deposit was unearthed near the foundations of a sanctuary. It contained several effigies of Juno as well as eight very original little statuettes with the breasts of a woman but the body of a weasel. In addition, there were also weasel’s bones and metal keys. Even though it seems logical to think that the religious complex and these offerings were evoted to the goddess, it is more difficult, however, to understand the link between Juno and the different offerings. Why were they placed there and by whom?

IDENTITY OF THE POPULATION OF THE MULTIETHNIC SOUTH OF RUSSIA IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETAL INTEGRATION OF THE MACROREGION

The South of Russia is characterized by a complex structure, a contradictory history of interethnic relations and active migration processes. All of the above creates difficulties for the region’s societal integration and strengthening of macroregional ties. The state’s national strategy presupposes the formation of a positive civic identity of Russia’s population while preserving its ethnocultural diversity. The self-determination processes of ethnosocial groups in the post-Soviet space have revealed a competition between the civic and ethnic components in the identity of the national republics’ population. Therefore, the structural and dynamic dimension of the identity of the multiethnic population in the South of Russia is being actualized. The article empirically characterizes the complex identity of the population in the multiethnic subregions of the Russian South in terms of the region’s societal (macrolevel) integration. Based on the sociological research conducted in early 2021 in the Rostov region, the Republic of Adygea and the Republic of Daghestan, the nature of the local residents’ identity along the following axes is analyzed: (1) civic, regional and ethnic identifications; (2) I- and we-identifications; (3) primordial and constructed forms of identity. Modern sociological measurements demonstrate that in the structure of cognitive I-identifications of the population of the Russian South, primordial (gender, marital status) and constructed civic (Russian citizen) identity components prevail. In the Rostov region, the core of the respondents’ identity comprises a macroregional component (resident of the South of Russia). Whereas in the North Caucasian republics in question, ethnic (in Adygea and Daghestan), confessional and republican (in Daghestan) identifications compete with the all-Russian identity. At the emotional we-identity level, residents of the Russian South most often indicate affinity with groups of everyday communication (people of the same generation and occupation) and supra-ethnic constructed communities (citizens of Russia). A strong orientation towards the South Russian identity is also manifested among the Rostov residents, while ethnic, religious and republican identification complexes have greater significance in the national republics of the Northern Caucasus. Comparative analysis with the results of 2010-2011 studies (conducted using identical instruments in the Rostov region and Adygea) shows a stable predominance of constructed civic and macroregional identities in the subregions dominated by the Russian population, and ethnic and North Caucasian identities—in the republican segment. The continuing discrepancy in the identity content structure in the ethnoterritorial segments of the Russian South may have disintegration potential and slow down the formation of a supra-ethnic societal integrity of a multi-component macroregion.

Die Mehrdeutigkeit geteilter religiöser Orte. Eine ethnographische Fallstudie zum Kloster Sveti Naum in Ohrid, Mazedonien

<i>Die Mehrdeutigkeit geteilter religiöser Orte. Eine ethnographische Fallstudie zum Kloster Sveti Naum in Ohrid, Mazedonien</i>

The shifting Nile and the origins and development of ancient Karnak

Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development of this famous ancient Egyptian temple complex remains limited. Recent archaeological excavation in the Ptah temple, however, has reached its earliest levels, providing a first, securely dated stratigraphic sequence. Despite flood risks, the development of the religious complex c. 2200–2000 BC was made possible by the retreating Nile riverbank. Thus, the river and the expanding Karnak temple complex played major roles in the takeover of Egypt by the Eleventh Dynasty rulers and the growth of the new capital at Thebes, a potent combination of forces—fluvial, religious and secular—encountered among other early state powers.

What do Sunni Muslims think about religiously forbidden reproductive options?

This study explored the attitudes of Sunni Muslims towards religiously forbidden reproductive options: gamete donation, sex selection, surrogacy, and adoption. A total of 824 married Sunni Muslim people read 12 hypothetical vignettes depicting five types of assisted reproductive technologies: (i) sperm donation; (ii) egg donation, (iii) surrogacy; (iv) sex selection of a male foetus; and (v) and sex selection of a female foetus. They also related to the option of adopting a baby. Each vignette was presented twice: once depicting a relatively younger couple and once again describing a relatively older couple. The respondents were asked to state the level of their objection or acceptance for each of the twelve vignettes. In accord with the Islamic ruling, respondents reported objections to sex selection, egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy. However, they expressed a moderate level of acceptance of adoption of a baby. The greatest objection was directed at sperm donation, followed by objection to egg donation. Our study shows that the Sunni Muslims do not support the provision of fertility care for reproductive options that clearly contravene Islamic religious ruling. The findings may help fertility experts understand the cultural and religious complexities in treating Sunni Muslim couples.

Producción, uso y reuso de la escultura decorativa altomedieval de ambiente litúrgico en El Tolmo de Minateda: criterios para su contextualización cronológica y espacial

The excavations at the site of El Tolmo de Minateda (Hellin, Albacete, Spain), especially the work carried out in the area of the religious complex from the Visigothic period, have provided an interesting set of liturgical and ornamental sculpture from the early medieval period. Most of the items recovered come from the levels of dismantling and destruction of the architectural complex. This process begins in the second half of the 8th century and increases at the beginning of the 9th offering support to the Islamic buildings, in which they were reused as a construction material. Despite this circumstance, in this paper, we will see how, thanks to a chrono-stratigraphic sequence that has been verified in several areas of the site in the last 30 years, we can clarify some chronological and functional aspects of these materials. These circumstances allow us to partially restore the elevation of the religious buildings, of which only part of its plant remains, and address, from a regional perspective, aspects of the production and distribution of this kind of ornamental architecture.

Religious complexity: theorizing multiple religious trends

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the debate on secularization and the return of religion by using the social science complexity frame of reference. A trend in many Western countries is the decline in individual religiosity, increase in ‘nones’, growth of non-Christian religions, changes in religion itself, and the visibility of religion in the public sphere. Many sociologists of religion have analyzed the situation by discrediting the theory of secularization and adopting the newer theories of the spiritual turn, desecularization, and post-secularity, while others have maintained that secularization theory is still valid. The complexity frame of reference offers a toolkit that can be useful in resolving this theoretical dilemma. This article contributes to the theorizing of multiple religious trends at various analytical levels. It criticizes the current approaches before it introduces the concept of religious complexity. Finally, it explores the implications of religious complexity for analyses of multiple and varied religious trends.

Beyond the Menstrual Shed: Exploring Caste/Ethnic and Religious Complexities of Menstrual Practices in Far-West Nepal

Throughout Nepal, women and girls follow a range of menstrual practices, many of which leave them vulnerable to negative health outcomes. We applied a participatory visual research method called Collaborative Filmmaking to acquire a nuanced and sensory understanding of menstrual practices and motivations in Kanchanpur, Nepal. The study also provides insight regarding menstrual practice complexities across different castes/ethnicities and religions. Results show an array of menstrual practices related to cleansing, cooking, touching, worshipping, and sleeping. Participants’ menstrual practices varied by caste/ethnic and religious background and were motivated by religious and spiritual beliefs, family tradition, negative consequences, and social pressure.

The Destruction of the Serapeum in 391

This article reconsiders the destruction of the Serapeum in Alexandria by Christian militants in 391 within the context of Christianization in the late fourth century. The attack on the Serapeum was a deliberately staged, high-profile act of religious violence designed to demonstrate to the wider imperial community that the Roman state was no longer interested in protecting targeted cult sites from Christian militants, and that the perpetrators of such violence would suffer no negative consequences for their actions. The Serapeum, dedicated to the worship of the gods Serapis and Isis, was traditionally associated with the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and with the pharaonic and later Roman Imperial cult. The destruction of this religious and cultural complex by a Christian mob, acting under the direction of the local bishop Theophilus, was a deliberate act of vandalism intended to demonstrate the greater power of the Christian God over his spiritual competitors. In addition, the destruction of this famous sanctuary was undertaken with the approval of the reigning emperor, signaling a change in the locus of sacral authority in the Roman world as Roman emperors were now abandoning traditional pharaonic and Hellenistic models of divine kingship by ceding spiritual authority to Christian bishops.

О ТРАДИЦИЯХ ДОМАШНЕГО ПИВОВАРЕНИЯ У СТАРООБРЯДЧЕСКОГО НАСЕЛЕНИЯ ЮГО-ЗАПАДНОГО АЛТАЯ XIX - 1-Й ТРЕТИ XX В

The article is devoted to an important component of the culture of the Old Believers’ population of Southwestern Altai in the 19th - first third of 20th centuries which is the home brewing traditions. The specificity and nature of drinking beer in the region, the technology ofits preparation are presented, the features of the items of the drinking complex of the Old Believers are described: lagoons and self-made pots (korchags). The article used materials from ethnographic studies of the 19th - first third of the 20th centuries, and items from the stock collections of the East Kazakhstan Regional Architectural, Ethnographic and Natural Landscape Museum-Reserve (Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan). It is concluded that the massive spread of the home brewing tradition was due to the general conservatism of the cultural and everyday foundations of the Old Believers of the Southwestern Altai, the specifics of their religious and festive-ritual complex of events, as well as the period of abstention law which was in force in 1914-1924 .

МОДЕЛЬ ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ РЕЛИГИИ И ИСКУССТВА: ОНТОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ КОМПАРАТИВ РЕЛИГИИ И ИСКУССТВА

The correlate of religion and art is considered from the standpoint of their belonging to the forms of social consciousness, allowing one to reveal the identity of their structure. The model of the religious complex that has developed in the philosophy of religion, including consciousness, activity, relationships, organization, is extrapolated to the phenomenon of art. On this basis, an ontological comparative of religious and artistic consciousness, activity, relations, and organization is presented. These components of the structure are the points of interaction of phenomena, determining the spectrum of relations between religion and art that has developed in culture: determination, integration, complementation, dominance, cooperation. The proposed methodological approach clarifies the onto- and gnosiological platform for understanding the correlate of religion and art and has the potential to systematically clarify aspects of the interaction of religion and art, both in philosophical and in private scientific knowledge.

Le lotus déployé sur le mont Hiko

Mount Hiko, north of the southern Japanese island of Kyūshū, is one of the main sacred mountains of Japan, and one of the great places of practice of the yamabushi or shugenja, anchorites practising the “way for obtaining powers” (Shugendō). This mountain has only recently been studied in Japan and the book published by the author on this subject, of which the following essay is a summary, is the first work to appear on this topic in Western languages. After having briefly presented the geographical context and the origins of the place, the author endeavours to show how the spatial structure of the mountain and the ascetic practices that take place there were determined by the cult of the future Buddha Maitreya, but also by a particular ritual relating to the Tendai school, the ritual of the Lotus of the Law (Hokke-hō). The Tendai School, to which the yamabushi of Mount Hiko belong, is known for relying on the doctrine of the Lotus Sūtra, one of the scriptural authorities of the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna). The ritual in question was inspired more precisely by a chapter which depicts the meeting of the Buddha Śākyamuni with another buddha named Prabhūtaratna. The author also shows how the political struggles, after placing for a time (1587–1601) a woman at the head of the religious complex of Mount Hiko, finally led, during the anti-Buddhist repression of the Meiji period (1868), to the probably irreversible decline of the place, despite a revival of Shugendō after the Japanese defeat of 1945.

КЕРАМИЧЕСКИЙ КОМПЛЕКС ЭПОХИ БРОНЗЫ СВЯТИЛИЩА МАЛАЯ СОПКА НА НИЖНЕМ ДОНУ

The paper contains an analysis of the ceramic collection of the bronze age sanctuary Malaya Sopka. The sanctuary is located in the Oktyabrsky district of the Rostov region and was investigated in 2017. A little more than 10,000 square meters of the cultural layer of the сentral part of the monument were studied, which is about two-thirds of the total area. On the entire territory of the excavation, there were no dwellings, buildings, household pits, and hearths. However, 10 religious complexes were studied on the site, in the form of a system of ditches of various configurations (ring, rectangular, double ring), 12 objects (stone slabs and layouts, ruins of vessels), which gave reason to call Malaya Sopka a place of worship or a sanctuary. The weakly saturated cultural layer contained tools and products made of stone, bone and bronze. The main part of the finds is represented by ruins and fragments of bronze age ceramics and fragments of cattle bones. The ceramic complex of the site was formed at the turn of the middle and late Bronze age at the base of two different cultural traditions: the local Babino (multi-ribbed) and the newcomer Don-Volga Abashevo culture. The syncretic ceramic complex marks the stage of formation of the early Srubnaya (Timber-grave) culture and supplements the data on the cultural genesis of the middle-late Bronze age with the materials of the cult site.

Trauma and Religious Complexity in Later Life

The present study examines the impact of traumatic life events on religious complexity in later life. We anticipated that those older adults experiencing stressors that produce significant personal vulnerability (e.g., life threatening illnesses) demonstrate reduced complexity of belief and behavior (e.g., less belief with doubt). From a sample of 278 semi-structured interviews of older adults (aged 55-101 years-old.) from six New England and New York states, we analyzed 166 interviews using grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Individuals who experienced trauma related to war, close familial loss, and/or severe physical illness tended to be “true believers,” (i.e., adhere to rigid belief orthodoxy; Hoffer, 1950). By contrast, those who experienced less severe trauma (e.g., minor illness, job loss) were less apt to describe rigid belief. Temporal proximity of trauma was not consistently associated with greater complexity of belief and behavior, in the sense that with great distance from trauma, individuals were able to “work through” their experiences of trauma, and thereby increase complexity of belief and behavior. This is consistent with findings by Harris and Leak (2015), Krause and Hayward (2012), and Wong (2013) that suggest that trauma leading to personal vulnerability leads to long-term physical, mental, behavioral, and spiritual deficits that rigid religious belief and behavior help to offset. These findings are discussed in terms of psychological theories of grief resolution, personal coping, and terror management.

The Dome in Contemporary Monuments of the UAE between Tradition and Postmodernity

Recently constructed cultural and religious complexes in Abu Dhabi display the clear references to Islamic ornament and the ‘dome’ as a symbolic element. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque best manifests this through its cascade of domes and ornament. The Grand Mosque has become one of the most visited spaces in the city, which necessitated the creation of a processional underground route to organize its visitation process. Another example is Qasr Al Watan, which recently, in 2019, opened to the public, its white domes and Islamic ornament render it a popular site of visitation. The palatial complex has been equipped with a tourist center, gift shop and buses that transport its visitors. Qasr Al Watan’s domes, arches and ornaments are constructed with to reflect on known historical precedents. Taken together with Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the Emirates Palace, they reflect a comeback of postmodernism in Abu Dhabi. This paper focuses on cultural/religious buildings that exhibit ‘Domes’ and Islamic ornament with clear references to the historical precedents.

El templo viejo de Huaca de la Luna (Perú): una aproximación desde la aplicación de la sintaxis espacial

Este artículo muestra una primera aproximación de un edificio público religioso de la cultura mochica (s. I - IX d. C.), a través del uso de los análisis sintácticos como el análisis espacial, de percepción visual y de movimiento (herramientas tomadas de la Arqueología de la Arquitectura). El templo viejo de Huaca de la Luna está conformado por 14 espacios funcionales que engloban parte de un complejo religioso. Este templo fue un espacio arquitectónico muy bien diseñado y cumplió su rol hegemónico en una sociedad teocrática. Los resultados obtenidos respaldan lo supuesto y nos permiten reconocer los niveles de privacidad y jerarquización que tenía cada espacio construido.

La puesta en valor turístico del patrimonio cultural en fase de desaparición. Una oportunidad para los territorios de interior. Los casos de los monasterios de Vilabertran, Scala Dei y Escornalbou, en Catalunya

Los territorios de interior que poseen un importante patrimonio cultural en fase de destrucción tienen la oportunidad de restaurarlo y rehabilitarlo, poniéndolo en valor turístico. De esta manera, no solamente reafirman el sentimiento de identidad local y promocionan su cultura sino que también ayudan a su desarrollo económico, recibiendo nuevos visitantes, ávidos de consumir cultura e historia, y que, no solamente redescubren estos conjuntos monumentales, habiéndose informado previamente de las principales características de la visita, sino que, además, efectúan otros gastos adicionales en sus alrededores, lo que permite crear nuevos puestos de trabajo y mejorar la renta personal de la comunidad local.En este trabajo se analiza la evolución de la cantidad anual de visitantes recibidos en los últimos quince años en tres complejos religiosos que sufrieron su abandono y destrucción a partir de la desamortización de Mendizábal, y cuya restauración y puesta a punto ha permitido situarlos dentro del circuito turístico y cultural de los monasterios catalanes.Para ello se ha utilizado una serie de datos estadísticos oficiales y descriptivos; así como los resultado de una encuesta personal realizada al azar a los visitantes de estos monumentos, confirmando que manifiestan un alto grado de satisfacción con la visita y que están dispuestos a repetirla o, al menos, promocionarla.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN’S RELIGIOUS VIEWS MANIFESTED IN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (hereafter referred to as Autobiography) by Benjamin Franklin is really recognized as an American spiritual book that highlights the struggle course of the American dream and shows meaningful moral truths. Within the work, Franklin’s unique experiences towards RELIGION and his deep reflections on it are surly “on display”. By a close reading of his Autobiography, this paper delves into and analyzes those religious statements contained in it, trying to help readers sort out Franklin’s complex religious complex. By paying special attention to certain narrative strategies used by Franklin, the present paper believes that Franklin’s religious, moral and ethical thoughts are full of contradictions and conflicts. However, Franklin’s organic absorption of puritanism, dialectical use of deism, and rational speculations of all religions enable him to form kind and tolerant religious ideas, and rational moral values, thus realizing the self-consummation of moral under religious philosophy.

استصلاح مدينة مراكش. مجمعان دينيان من العصر السعدي

بعد استقرار الدولة السعدية في المغرب الأقصى واحتلال مدينة مراكش، قاد السلطان عبد الله الغالب (1557-1574م) إحدى الفترات الأكثر ازدهارا للسلالة السعدية، فبدأ مجموعة من الأعمال من أجل إصلاح وتجهيز المدينة التي كانت تعيش من قبل مرحلة تراجع خلال القرن الخامس عشر. ومن ضمن الإنجازات التي قام بها ذلك السلطان نجد تنظيم المدينة وتجديد البنية التحتية وإنشاء مبانٍ عظيمة أثرت بصورة ملحوظة في تطوير المنظر العمراني. في هذا البحث نعرض بإيجاز كل المباني المتضمنة داخل مشروع عبد الله الغالب من أجل التعريف بأهمية فترة حكمه. إضافة إلى ذلك، نتناول بشكل متعمق المجمعين الدينيين اللذين أقيما في مراكش تبعا لنفس النموذج وبنفس النمط التخطيطي. ولذلك نرتكز في تحليلنا للمجمعين على تصميمهما المعماري وعلاقتهما بالبيئة الحضرية.