Ritual Sites Research Articles

A Study on the Large jar Ritual Sites Outside the Protection Stone of Wooden Chamber Tombs with stone mound of Gyeongju

A Study on the Large jar Ritual Sites Outside the Protection Stone of Wooden Chamber Tombs with stone mound of Gyeongju

History of Ambo Ambaa Lafaa of Western Shewa Zone of Oromia Regional State: The Heartland of Hero and Heroism

History is indispensable to understanding ourselves and the world around us. This study attempts to construct the history of Ambo Ambaa lafaa of western shewa zone of Oromia regional state. Its foundation, gradual change, economic activity, politico-administration and religion in different leaders. Further the study recognizes the problem which affects the development of Ambo town. In this study, the researcher utilized primary, secondary and pamphlet sources as well as oral information through interview in order to gather the data. The collected data was organized and analyzed using qualitative research methods. The study is based on historical and Ethnographic approach. The historical foundation of Ambo was not directly concern for the cause of military garrisons like many other Ethiopia Towns, its growth and internal character came to be closely connected with the mineral water, God Bridge and commercial activities. Ambo is town found in west shewa zone of oromia regional state. Ambo was known by pride of their nation in different era of various ruler of Ethiopia. They struggles for their right and know their responsibility simultaneously. Ambo known by patriots, hero and brave those who stand for the freedom of country in any controversy and pleasure time. The society of town needs peace, stability, truth, justice, equality, brotherly hood and fraternity with diverse nation and nationalities in the empire, because Oromo are founders of gada system that did for equality of human beings. Ambo town was established in late of 19<sup>th</sup> century. At the beginning the spatial size of Ambo town is small, it is around 1320 hectares and became expand to 8578 hectares after it makes gradual expansion to the neighboring farm land. As the result Ambo is very comfortable for different investment activities because of comfortable climate condition and stability (safety) in area, there is also different attraction site including Wanchi lake, Dandi Lake (it had number eight shape/symbol), Guder fall, obse fall, old palace of emperor Haile sillase and other different natural, cultural and ritual sites

Rock engravings marking the Redan landscape in Gauteng, South Africa

The ontological1 and epistemological2 foundations of reality, myths, beliefs, and practices in ritual behaviour have long been studied by scholars around the globe. There is no single understanding and representation of reality, as all that is real or existent within the universe is historically shaped by interdependent cultural and social processes and fear factors. Although the study of rock art is primary a branch of archaeology, cultural history also focuses on a past time and place, to study beliefs and ideas from a bottom-up approach and include the objects and experiences (sometimes unwritten) of the everyday life of the uneducated and less privileged. It is particularly well equipped to offer an understanding of the San myths, beliefs, ritual practices, and modes of representation of reality, as represented in their rock art. The Redan open-air rock engraving site is located on the Kookfontein farm, near the former Klip power station at Redan, close to a wetland that was formerly a rivulet that founded its way to the Klip River, a tributary of the Vaal River. The Klip-Vaal area is situated in the southern part of Gauteng, South Africa. Being part of the Late Stone Age hunting, domestic and ritual sites of the San people and later migrants it contains numerous documented and undocumented rock art sites. In line with interpretivism, the methodology is based on published and unpublished literature, as well as several on-site inspections of the site between 2002 and 2022. Authorship of the engravings at the Redan site is unconfirmed, although two dominant views regarding the cultural origin have emerged, namely a San hunter-gatherer shamanistic approach and the Koranna-Khoekhoen initiation site hypothesis.Contribution: The article contributes to the neglected historiography of the rock engravings in the Klip-Vaal region, in particular the Redan site, and the need to facilitate a comparison with similar rock engravings in southern Africa.

Doing landscape: sensorial and artistic approaches to Donkalnis and Spiginas Mesolithic–Neolithic ritual sites in western Lithuania

ABSTRACT During the Mesolithic and Neolithic, foragers dwelling in the Eastern Baltic, Scandinavia and Fennoscandia regions buried some of their dead on lake islands or other coastal sites. Based on ethnographic accounts, these sites are often understood as liminal places where water separates the lands of the dead and the living. In this paper, we take a more relational view of place and suggest that a particular combination of spatial perception of landscape and the dynamic nature of coastal sites might have contributed to the social agency of these places, resulting in their use as places for ritual activity. By exploring two Mesolithic–Neolithic burial places, Donkalnis and Spiginas (western Lithuania), with sensory archaeological and artistic approaches, we suggest that the ancient foragers of this region buried human bodies in these locations to be part of the place itself. Similar to other depositional acts, this could have been done to mark the location or communicate with the surrounding world.

Re-wilding Ritual: An Archaeological Study of Plants in Ritual Contexts in the Traprain Law Environs, Scotland

ABSTRACT The study of European prehistory has often associated natural objects as menacing presences rooted in fears concerning, at a basic level, continued subsistence and combative conciliatory ritual practice. Nevertheless, in this time, ritual is imprinted upon entire landscapes with natural objects manipulated to construct ritual spaces. This article considers the nature and purpose of natural objects, specifically plant species, within prehistoric ritual practice in Scotland through consideration of the Traprain Law environs, East Lothian. Within prehistoric contexts, the Traprain Law environs are formed partly through the physical manifestations of ideology in a network of ritual sites. In this context, plants as natural objects are a community integral to ritual networks, whether through ritualized clearance, symbolic usage in cremation, votive offering, or deposition prior to site abandonment. There are many ways in which plant remains occupied space within ritual taskscapes in prehistoric Scotland.

Understanding the pattern of musculoskeletal pain and its contributing factors among Hajj pilgrims.

Hajj is a series of rituals that are done in specific areas and periods in Mecca. Performing Hajj requires a great amount of physical demand which may result in musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in different age groups. To estimate the prevalence of MSP and understand its pattern via exploring the factors that could be associated with muscular pain among pilgrims in the 2022 Hajj. A web-based survey was distributed during the annual Hajj mass gathering. Pilgrims were recruited from Hajj ritual sites. The collected data included demographics, musculoskeletal pain at ten anatomical body sites, and physical activity (PA) level. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data at a 0.05 significance level. A total of 248 pilgrims participated in the study. The mean age of the sample was 43.49±12.70 years. Of all pilgrims, 78.6% had reported MSP in at least one anatomical body site during performing Hajj. Results revealed that Pilgrims were more likely to have MSP in the lower limb while performing Hajj rituals where the most prevalent reported pain was in the legs (46%), followed by the lower back (45%), knees (37%), and ankles/feet (30%). Age, sex, and PA were not significantly associated with MSP except the BMI was found to be a significant factor related to MSP among pilgrims (p <0.05). Many pilgrims exhibited pain in at least one body part. Although physical fitness recommendations are published in the Saudi Ministry of Health, MSP preventative measures need to be disseminated by organizations and interested parties worldwide.

Conserving Commons for Whom? Heritage Conservation in Nairobi and Other Places in Kenya

ABSTRACT Urban heritage is an indicator of people’s idiosyncrasies. Significant values and meanings are created, and their decline can be controlled through conservation. Unfortunately, conservation in Kenya has been endorsed somewhat by powerful politicians and administrators for partisan objectives. They have failed to enforce existing conservation law and tried to appropriate value heritage assets. This paper, therefore, assesses the challenges of heritage conservation, the extent of systematic heritage destruction and the causes of conflict in the heritage conservation of Kenya. Three cases have been examined: the Ojijo Road Flats in Nairobi, Endorois court case and the Kaya Forest sacred ritual sites. A research programme was designed which involved participants with relevant knowledge. It emerged that conflict of interest, limited consultation and poor heritage management had resulted in the loss of heritage authenticity, integrity, and values. Furthermore, lack of public involvement and limited resources derailed heritage conservation. A literature review revealed the extent to which national legal instruments lacked reference to community responsibility in heritage conservation. The study concludes that a relevant conservation policy needs to be established to enhance sustainable heritage conservation and management in Kenya.

The Hajj Before Muhammad: The Early Evidence in Poetry and Hadith

Abstract Scholarly debate on the nature of the Hajj before Muhammad and radical questions of whether Mecca was a ritual site at all in pre-Islamic times are answerable from the large corpus of pre-Islamic poetry, which has been underutilised as a source for pre-Islamic history. This paper reveals the poetry to be both a reliable and valuable witness. It demonstrates that the Hajj was performed in the generation before Muhammad in substantially similar terms to subsequent Muslim practice. Some modifications and shifts are discernible, but ritual continuity emerges as a major theme. The poetry also underscores the restricted ambit of the pre-Islamic Hajj: we uncover a highly-localised ritual followed primarily by groups living near Mecca – the expansion of the Hajj into a pan-Arabian phenomenon with an intimate role in informing communal identity and political power are new in the Islamic period. This paper closes with comparison of the poetry and hadith on the Hajj, which reveals a major Muslim-era reinterpretation of the pilgrimage as an Abrahamic rite.

Gathering Ground: Unearthing 3000 Years of Prehistory at Faughan Hill, Eastern Ireland

The discovery of a major archaeological complex at Faughan Hill, County Meath, was first reported on in the Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society in 2015. Comprising a series of large hilltop enclosures, probable burial sites, and associated features, the character and scale of the complex marked this out as an important focal centre in a region populated with some of Ireland’s largest and most spectacular monument ensembles, not least at the Hill of Tara, 15 km to the south-east. A more complete picture of the site has since been revealed through further geophysical survey followed by test excavations by the Discovery Programme’s Tara Research Project. Two trenches excavated across the hilltop enclosures in 2017 yielded evidence of four discrete phases of activity spanning some 3000 years, from the mid-4th to mid-1st millennia bc. During the Middle Neolithic the hilltop was encircled by a fenced enclosure (3635–3380 cal bc) possibly associated with the production of stone tools. At 250 m in projected diameter it is one of the largest enclosures of the 4th millennium known in Ireland. This was superseded in the Late Bronze Age by a far more substantial, 400 m diameter multivallate enclosure (1280–920 cal bc) representing the only excavated hillfort of its type in Meath. The hill was the focus of renewed activity during the Early Iron Age (800–520 cal bc) and later became central to the political ambitions of aspiring, early Uí Néill kings of Tara, achieving particular reknown as the burial place of their eponymous ancestor, Niall of the Nine Hostages. Developments at Faughan are illuminated further by a wealth of prehistoric settlement and ritual sites in the surrounding area, as well as early documentary sources, and, collectively, speak to a regional centre and gathering place with long-lived social, symbolic, and political significance.

마한의 제사유적과 익산 영등동 다중환구의 고고학적 의의

Some of the rituals in ancient Korean society exist as records. Younggo of Buyeo, Dongmaeng of Goguryeo, and Mucheon of Ye are representative. However, the name of Mahan's ritual is unknown even though the contents are recorded. The purpose of this article is to present the nature and archaeological significance of the Multiple Round Ditchs investigated at Youngdeung-dong, Iksan, through the remains of ancestral rituals during the Mahan period. Eight tentative conclusions could be presented through the practice of Mahan rituals shown in the record and the ritual attributes of the Multiple Round Ditchs in Youngdeung-dong. First, it is possible that Youngdeung-dong site was Mahan's ritual site consisting of the Multiple Round Ditchs Ritual, the Big Tree Ritual, and the Shattering Ritual. Second, the discovery of a tree pit at Youngdeung-dong site not only serves as a criterion for restoring the size and shape of the Multiple Round Ditchs, but also increases the possibility that the Multiple Round Ditchs in Myeongcheon-dong, Boryeong, can be viewed as the Big Tree Ritual. Third, the Multiple Round Ditchs can be seen as a much stronger representation of the priest's right. Fourth, it is possible that Youngdeung-dong site was Sodo(蘇塗) of a powerful country in the Mangyeonggang River basin. Fifth, it is possible that the ritual of Sodo was a farming ritual to pray for the prosperity and well-being of the country and a ritual for dedication to Heaven and ghosts. Sixth, it is possible that the priest's right and the growth of the sanctuary were actively used as a strategy to strengthen the royal authority of the political rulers of the country and to gain an upper hand among various countries. Seventh, it breaks away from t he stereotype that t he existence of b ells a nd d rums can only fall in the Iron Age through the Big Tree Ritual that existed in Youngdeung-dong site during the 2nd~3rd centuries. Eighth, Youngdeung-dong site deserve to be used as a sample of Mahan Sodo in the 3rd century.

HISTORY OF RESEARCH OF SCYTHIAN SITES IN THE NORTHERN AZOV SEA REGION

Northern Azov region (Pryazovia) is the place of concentration of one of the largest groups of Scythian sites of the 5th—4th centuries BC. At the same time, local necropolises show significant variability in chronological and structural characteristics. Therefore, one of the first issues aimed at a better understanding of the region is the completeness and directions of archaeological research of the territory. The paper offers an overview of the main stages of the discovery of the Scythian sites in this region and the factors that influenced them. It follows the chronological order of explorations, both field and theoretical. The first excavations date back to the 19th century with the discovery of the kurhans in the Obitochna river mouth. The synchronous historical-geographical attempt of placing Herodotus’ Royal Scythians on the map of the Azov region is analyzed separately. The early 20th century is mostly characterized by archaeological studies in the local museums. The first large-scale expeditions as well as the summarizing works that approached the Azov region started in 1950—1960. During this stage the first in the 20th century Royal barrow, Melitopol kurhan, was excavated. This discovery prompted further research of the large kurhans in the Azov region. The breakthrough stage is considered to be the period between 1970 and 1990. The works in the North-Western part of Pryazovia were primarily associated with the Khersons’ka and Priazovs’ka expeditions of the Institute of Archaeology (IA). During this time, no less than 130 Scythian burial mounds were discovered and recorded there. The scope and amount of the field research also influenced the advancement in the standardization of the procedure of the kurhan exploration and documentation. In the Kalmius basin, archaeological research took place less intensively due to the smaller area of construction works. The excavations of the 1970s were primarily connected with the activities of the Donetsk expedition of the IA led by S. Bratchenko. Although the number of burials in the Donetsk region was significantly smaller, the research of the Shevchenko and Kremenivka complexes showed the presence of unique ritual sites, as well as the intensive use of local granite deposits for the construction of stone structures. Overall, more than a century of research allowed a better understanding of the history of the Scythians in the Pryazovia and showed the importance of continuing fieldwork and further conceptualizing this region.

Prilozi proučavanju Vlaške kulture i običaja u istočnoj Srbiji

The territory of Eastern Serbia throughout history was known for the presence of the Vlach population. The Vlachs came to northeastern Serbia from different regions and were divided into two groups: the Ungrujans and the Carans. The Ungrujans came from the area of Hungary (Transylvania and Banat), while the Carans came from Wallachia and Moldavia. These two groups were not homogeneous, they mixed with each other as well as with the local Serbian population. Nevertheless, during the 20th century and until today, the Vlachs kept their culture and customs, which are significantly different from the Serbian ones. Eastern Serbia is known for Vlach customs, which are inevitably connected with the use of magic, which was an inseparable part of Vlach culture, as well as folk medicine in these regions. Each place had its own sorcerer or sorceress to whom the local population turned for help. Not everyone could be a sorcerer, but this ability was passed down from generation to generation. The Vlachs have always had a rich and interesting mythology, a set of beings, deities, and demons to whom they turned when needed for help. A special place in Vlach magic was occupied by the cult of the Great Mother - Muma Paduri, who was the protector of women. The Vlachs also believe in the power of certain animals and plants that have magical effects. Rituals in Vlach culture were mostly performed in public places, at crossroads, next to rivers and roads. Ritual sites were generally considered off-limits to men, and many rituals are still performed that way today.

Vanished Cultural Landscapes: Rituals of Remembrance for Submerged Bulgarian Villages

The article explores the processes of building memoryscapes: a material anchor is a starting point or an integral part of the narrative in order to facilitate communication. In some cases, these anchors are material remains, in others new religious, commemorative or ritual sites. The commemorations or pilgrimages need a visible, material object. Placemaking based on a lost place as performed by the first generation, i.e. resettlers, results in elaborated memoryscape within the second generation, i.e. their descendants.

Impacts of seawater level and human activities on Yeh Gangga Beach’s coastal area at Tabanan Town

The coastal environment of Bali has undergone significant changes due to rising seawater levels and human activities associated with tourism. As a result, public beach areas have become narrower, which has marginalized public interest and religious activities, particularly in coastal tourist resorts. To address this issue, this research focuses on Yeh Gangga's coastal area in Tabanan Regency, which is a crucial ritual site for the Tabanan Town Community, a traditional fisherman's territory, and a location of conflicts of interest among parties in the use of the beach. Empirical studies in the field, including observation, institutional data, and theories, were conducted to gather data. From the results of in-depth interviews conducted by a number of residents, they said that erosion has been going on for a long time and it is estimated that 20-50 meters of the coast towards the mainland has become the sea. Hence, the main objective of this research is to provide factual evidence of the decreasing public coastal areas as public spaces in Yeh Gangga Beach and to suggest that the local authorities build an organization body for integrated coastal zone management. The findings of this research will benefit academic purposes, urban planners, and local authorities.

Обь-Иртышское междуречье в эпоху раннего неолита – бронзы, Средневековья: культурогенез, хозяйство, мировоззрение (по материалам археологических комплексов)

This paper describes the research findings from the archaeological sites of the Neolithic – Early and Developed Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, located on the territory of Barabinskaya wood and steppe area in the Middle Omsk region, within the framework of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) projects. The excavations of diverse sites (burials, settlements, ritual sites) of various periods helped to obtain insights into residential and economic buildings, burials and ritual objects. As a result, new data on the economy and ideology shared by the representatives of some archaeological cultures, i.e. Odinovskaya, Krotovskaya, Andronovskaya (Fedorovskaya), Kyshtovskaya, were obtained. Based on the materials from the early Neolithic sites, a new archaeological culture Barabinskaya has been identified. The archaeological evidence of contacts between two Early Bronze Age populations, Odinovskaya and Krotovskaya cultures, during the 3rd millennium BC has been documented. The economy of the early Neolithic Middle Omsk population has been characterized as mainly based on fishing: taking into account the evidence of fishing development in Baraba microdistrict, the use of river and lake bio resources for this purpose as early as since the 8th–7th millennia BC is quite obvious. For the early Neolithic era, a specific method of preserving fish – “fish pits”, as well as fish smoking, – was documented. The bronze casting production acquires the first features of crafts. The analysis of the osteological materials from Odinovskaya culture sites in Central Baraba helps to reconstruct that economy as transitional from appropriating to producing type.&#x0D; The materials of the Middle Ages sanctuaries of the southern Khanty Kyshtovskaya culture are presented. The connection of cult complexes of this culture with small barns from the sacred places of the Siberian peoples and grave structures has been established. Based on the project results, two monographs were published.

Tales of middle Mesolithic cultural transformations and marine adaptation:

Submerged archaeological sites from the early Holocene, along the south-western and western Norwegian coastline are important sources of new information about stone-age human populations and coastal adaptation. In this article we present a Mesolithic hatchet made of bone that was found at the harbor floor at Kirkehavn in southern Norway in 1997. While radiocarbon dating proved this hatchet to be the oldest directly dated in Scandinavia (9884–9480 cal BP), aDNA analysis has identified the species from which this hatchet was made as either bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) or northern right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). The deposit of the hatchet must be understood in light of other contemporary ritual deposits along the south coast of Norway like the sub-merged Middle Mesolithic ritual site at Hummervikholmen and the cultural transformations taking place during this time. The result supplements the tale of new introductions in cultural practice and in material culture concurrently indicating the introduction of more complex hunter gatherer societies, while the distinctly marine adaptation continued on this part of the coast.

The Key to the Labyrinth: Boundaries and Spaces in Raǧāʾ ʿĀlim’s Novel The Dove’s Necklace

Abstract As an urban structure, Mecca is inscribed with several layers of meaning. It is the place where the Divine revelation of Islam took place; it is the setting of the life and preaching of the prophet Muhammad; and it is the location of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage, with its sacred and ritual sites. These complex domains of signification are related/separated by various kinds of boundaries, which are made even more intricate by the strict Wahhabi regime of religiosity and social segregation and Saudi policies of urban reconstruction. All these influences result in a fragmented spatial structure, and, concomitantly, in a fragmented social structure, which are both to some extent hidden in the folds of the urban landscape. In this contribution, the boundaries between the various domains will be discussed as they are portrayed, and contested, in the novel Ṭawq al-ḥamām (The Dove’s Necklace) by the Saudi author Raǧāʾ ʿĀlim. It will be explained how several characters are described as either upholding, breaking, preserving, and challenging the diverse boundaries vested in Mecca as a container of a profound religious heritage.

Potters’ Mobility Contributed to the Emergence of the Bell Beaker Phenomenon in Third Millennium BCE Alpine Switzerland: A Diachronic Technology Study of Domestic and Funerary Traditions

Abstract The spread of the Bell Beaker phenomenon across Europe is still strongly debated today. Small-scale technological studies investigating its integration in local contexts remain rare, even though these are crucial to observing disruptions in traditions. In this article, we studied the ceramic technology of Final Neolithic, Bell Beaker period, and Early Bronze Age settlements of the Upper Rhône valley in Switzerland (3300–1600 BCE). We reconstructed and compared their pottery traditions to those from the contemporaneous megalithic necropolis of Sion ‘Petit-Chasseur’, a major funerary and ritual site located in the centre of the valley. Our findings showed that the Bell Beaker period saw an abundance of simultaneous technical changes, mirroring disruptions identified by other fields, and confirmed that this cultural phenomenon did not blend seamlessly with the local context. More importantly, they revealed the role played by human mobility, with the arrival of potters shortly after 2500 BCE.

All that glitters is not gold: Multi-instrumental identification of Viking Age orpiment (As2S3) from Surtshellir cave, Iceland

Fragments of orpiment (As2S3) from a Viking Age structure inside Iceland’s Surtshellir cave represent the farthest-known occurrence of this rare mineral from sources known to have been exploited during the Early Middle Ages. Actual fragments of orpiment (from Latin auripigmentum, golden pigment) are only documented in late first millennium AD northern Europe from Dunadd, the seat of the Dalriadic kings in western Scotland (7th-8th century AD), Tonymore Crannóg, an elite Irish site (8th-9th century AD), and now Surtshellir (AD 920–1020). Ground to create a pigment, orpiment was used to add brilliant yellows to illuminated manuscripts produced from the 7th-10th centuries AD in elite monastic and ecclesiastic centers of Ireland, the Carolingian Empire, and Anglo-Saxon England. Its only prior documented uses in Viking Age Scandinavia, however, are from the furnishings of King Gorm’s grave at Jelling (Denmark), ca. AD 950–960, and possibly the Gokstad ship, ca. AD 900–905. The twelve fragments of orpiment from Surtshellir, verified through pXRF (hand-held X-Ray Fluorescence) and SEM/EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy), link this site to 10th century AD interaction and trade networks that stretched from the North Atlantic to Anatolia and provide supportive evidence for re-interpreting the cave as an important, elite-controlled ritual site from Iceland’s Viking Age.

Lipid residues in ancient pastoralist pottery from Kazakhstan reveal regional differences in cooking practices

The Bronze Age—Iron Age transition in Central Asia (ca. 800 BCE) was a period of significant cultural change that was heavily influenced by greater population interaction and mobility. Indeed, scholars have increasingly emphasized the role that “food globalization in prehistory” has played in defining this period. In the mountain foothills of Kazakhstan, culinary traditions from across Eurasia were combined through the use of Southwest Asian wheat, barley, and livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) with East Asian foxtail and broomcorn millets. The development of food cultures during this period has been investigated by archaeobotanical and isotopic analysis, yet lipid residues from pottery, which directly represent culinary practices, have not been adequately examined. In this study, lipid residue analysis was conducted on 72 pottery sherds, excavated from three burial mounds and one non-burial, ritual site located in Kazakhstan, dating to ca. 700–200 BCE. A particularly informative observation was the frequency of miliacin, a biomarker of broomcorn millet, detected in residues that corresponded well with previously published regional differences observed in carbon isotope ratios of human remains that indicate the consumption of C4 plants. This study also demonstrates continuity of Bronze Age dairying traditions into the Iron Age. Finally, this study sheds new light on the diversity of food cultures and mortuary practices in this region, which were not uniform across either space or time.