Specific Rituals Research Articles

Elites and Human Sacrifices at Paquimé: A Bioarchaeological Assessment

Various forms of violence have been implicated in the development and cultural trajectory of Paquimé, the center of the Casas Grandes culture in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico. However, these inferences have received little systematic bioarchaeological investigation. This study focuses on the most complex burial discovered at Paquimé, a subfloor tomb containing the remains of at least 12 individuals in two distinct burial layers. Here we evaluate the hypothesis that the commingled layer of human remains represents a sacred offering to the elite individuals below through a comparative analysis of demography, health indicators, trauma, post-mortem processing, and taphonomy. Results revealed that there are significant differences between the two burial layers, particularly in terms of post-mortem processing, health status, and age-at-death structure. The commingled remains consisted primarily of unhealthy older sub-adults (and one young adult female) whose skeletal remains exhibit extreme post-mortem processing. The articulated burials, on the other hand, were all adults who received elaborate mortuary treatment, were not processed, and appear to have been well-buffered against disease stress during life. Both the osteological and contextual data from this burial tomb are consistent with sacrificial deposits in Mesoamerica and suggest that the commingled remains were companion sacrifices for the elites below. Thus, this study provides bioarchaeological evidence for ritual violence at Paquimé, which likely reflects the outcome of culturally specific ritual and political actors at the site.

Status of brands in children’s consumption: What letters to Santa posted on La Poste website tell us

AbstractThe purpose of the research is to identify different consumption styles based on a large collection of letters to Santa written by some children and/or their families and submitted to the French Post website (La Poste). One of our main interests focuses on the presence and weight of brands and licenses in children’s wish lists. We have had access to all the anonymous posts sent to Santa Claus through La Poste’s website during the 2013 and 2014 Christmas holidays. We analyzed the nature of the wish lists as shown in the 43,000‐post database using several textual data analysis techniques. Extensive heterogeneity was found among children’s and families’ postures regarding that specific ritual. The different types of emails reflect the meaning families associate with Christmas time but also their different consumption styles or attitudes toward consumption: reasoned, educational, hedonistic, or materialistic, for example. When focusing on brands and licenses, we can also observe significant differences in the way families and children include them in their consumption decisions. Brands could have a very different weight in Christmas wish lists and their natures reflect different value transmission modes. The French market for Christmas children brands is rather stable and focuses on a few top leading global brands such as Playmobil, Barbie, or Lego. At least one of the ten leading brands is mentioned in half of evaluated Christmas wish lists. The analysis confirms that brands are very clearly gendered and associated with the children’s ages. Peak time for brand desire is alleged to be reached between the age of 7 and 9. To our knowledge, our research is the first to analyze a large sample of spontaneous data to capture children’s consumption styles and attitudes toward brands. Because of our classification, a first typology of parental consumption styles has also been identified.

Engaging the Paleolithic Images of Chauvet Cave

The prehistoric artists of Chauvet Cave likely never imagined their drawings would be discovered 35,000 years later, inspiring scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines. Scholarship thus far has focused primarily on artistic techniques and material cultural remnants. Although these quantitative studies have revealed important data suggesting the cave’s use as a ritual space, the history and ceremonies of these ancient humans remain a mystery. This article demonstrates that depth psychology may be a valuable discipline for gaining further understanding of the cave’s ancient images. Depth psychologists have argued that the modern human unconscious retains vestiges of the archaic human psyche. In order to explore that premise, the author applies C. G. Jung’s technique of active imagination to selected Paleolithic images from within Chauvet Cave, amplifying the resulting materials in order to better contextualize them within the collective unconscious. Although this qualitative exploration cannot conclusively establish an accurate portrayal of what specific rituals were performed within the ancient cave, it offers potential insight into archaic elements that persist within the modern human psyche. The 1994 rediscovery of Chauvet Cave thus becomes not just a clue to our past, but a remarkable window upon our present.

Nilai Pendidikan dalam Tradisi Mitoni: Studi Tradisi Perempuan Jawa Santri Mendidik Anak dalam Kandungan di Pati, Jawa Tengah

Mitoni is a Javanese tradition that performs special rituals. This tradition highlights a philosophical meaning for Javanese women, particularly educational values for a baby in the womb. Concerning its development, these values have shifted from its original meaning promoted by both native Javanese women and Javanese santri (students in Islamic boarding schools) women. This present study aims to explore educational values for the baby during Mitoni. A descriptive study of continuity was employed in this research. The findings reveal three characteristics of Javanese women’s perspectives on this tradition based on their subjects, namely: 1) formalistic-traditionalist Islamic view, 2) semi-formalistic-traditionalist Islamic view, and 3) pure Islamic view. Meanwhile, Mitoni, the Javanese tradition, proposes several educational values for the baby according to the Javanese santri women in Pati, Central Java. First, Mitoni provides the baby with the recognition basis of tauheed (oneness of Allah). Second, it enhances parents or prospective parents’ spirit when they educate the baby during pregnancy. Third, this tradition emerges as their effort to give good nutrition for the baby, especially in the seventh month-period of pregnancy. Lastly, Mitoni also demonstrates meaningful understanding for current young generations to preserve this cultural Javanese tradition so as to exist in the future

Effect of <i>P. serratifolia</i> Leaf Extract on Hematological Parameters and Standarization of Snacks using <i>P. serratifolia</i> Leaf Powder

Premna serratifolia (also known as Pachumullai) belongs to the family Verbenaceae, is a medicinal plant known as Agnimantha in Ayurveda. It has potential hepatoprotective and cytotoxic activity. There are many phytochemical and bioactive compounds present in the plant parts of Premna serratifolia . In addition to this, it has higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activity which is beneficial to human health as a therapeutic adjuvant. However, the nutritional components in P. serratifolia have not been probed, though it was consumed during special rituals. Further the anti-anemic effect of P. serratifolia was not yet studied. The present research aimed at assessing the micronutrients (Iron, Phosphorus, Calcium, Ascorbic acid) in P. serratifolia leaf, and the ethanolic extract of P. serratifolia leaf at two different dosage (100mg and 200mg) was examined for hematological parameters (Hemoglobin, Red Blood Cell count and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin) in anemic rats and the value added snacks like biscuit, vadam and murukku were formulated at two different ratios by using P. serratifolia leaf powder. The results showed that P. serratifolia leaf extract had higher impact on the hematological parameters when compared with standard drug ferrous fumarate and the higher incorporation of P. serratifolia leaf powder helped to increase the nutrient content in formulated snacks.

PEMENTASAN TARI LELEGONGAN PADA PIODALAN DI PURA PUSEH DESA PAKRAMAN CULIK KABUPATEN KARANGASEM (Perspektif Pendidikan Agama Hindu)

<p><em>The daily life of Balinese people who are Hindus as if it can not be separated with elements of culture and art. The offerings with the form of offerings with great care in the selection of materials offerings, appear to present expressive symbols with aesthetic taste and artistic arrangement. Many religious ceremonies are performed every year in sacred temples, the atmosphere of art, especially the art of dance, is very prominent. In the art of dance, sacred dance or guardian is a dance performed in a series of ceremonies or yadnya or a series of specific rituals, and the dances are usually purified. In connection with that in the Village Pakraman Culik, District Abang, Karangasem regency has a uniqueness in the ceremony piodalan pura puseh there staging Lelegongan Dance. This dance performance is a manifestation of gratitude towards Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa.</em><em> </em><em>There are also problems that will be discussed, among others: (1) Why Leleged Dance staged at piodalan ceremony at pura puseh, (2) Structure of Lempegongan dance performance, (3) Hindu religion values that contained in Lelegongan dance performance, to (1) reveal the background of Lelegongan dance, (2) explain the structure of dance performance of Lelegongan, (3) analyze the values of Hindu religious education contained in Lelegongan dance performance.</em></p><p><em>The methods used to collect data are non participant observation and structured observation, structured interview, literature. The data collected were analyzed by qualitative descriptive analysis with reduction measures, data presentation and conclusion drawing.</em><em> </em><em>The results of this study shows Lelegongan dance is a guardian dance performed on each piodalan in pura puseh as an expression of gratitude before Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in general and also the Bhatari Bhatari who berstana at pura puseh and Ida Bhatari Danuh who berstana at pura puseh, Performance Lelegongan Dance at the ceremony piodalan Pura Puseh Village Pakraman Culik Abang district Karangasem regency is a dance that is considered sacred. In the staging of the Lelegongan dance there are several ceremonies that must be passed before the dance is performed, the first melasti ceremony or the cleansing ceremony of God's symbol, the second peak of the guardian is the peak ceremony in the ceremony piodalan where in the ceremony of the peak of the guardian was held Lertegongan dance performance , after the stages of Lelegongan dance all villagers of Pakraman Kulik do pray together. Next nganyarin which will end the penyineban ceremony. Educational values contained in the Lelegongan Dance namely (1) The value of Tattwa education is as a form of community belief in Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa,(2) The value of education ethics Susila as a symbol of the behavior of the community during the ceremony piodalan, (3) The value of education ceremony that is as a form Bhakti Pakraman Culik Village community before Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa which in this case poured in rituals with facilities and infrastructure namely with Banten, (4) Aesthetic Value that is as a form of spiritual satisfaction</em></p>

Obsidian in the Tavoliere, Southeastern Italy — A regional study

We used portable X-ray fluorescence analysis to perform elemental analysis of 111 obsidian artefacts from 32 Neolithic and two Late Neolithic/Bronze Age sites in the Tavoliere, Italy. This is the first detailed regional Neolithic study of obsidian in Italy. By comparing the elemental compositions with those of Mediterranean obsidian sources, we identified the Gabellotto of Lipari as the source for 99 artefacts and Palmarola as source for twelve artefacts. Within the Tavoliere, the Palmarola obsidian had a more westerly distribution, whereas the Lipari obsidian is more generally distributed. This pattern probably reflects the geographical origin of the obsidian and the trade and exchange networks necessary to bring material to the Tavoliere over land from the west. The obsidian pieces have very few or no signs of use-wear, implying that they may have been used only a few times, or even just once. We suggest that such limited use implies a role for obsidian in special rituals involving rites de passage such as cutting the umbilical cord of newborns or circumcision of boys.

Promocje doktorskie jako ceremonie akademickie

Academic regalia, symbols and ceremonies are an important element of university reality. The ruling force here is the tradition and continuity of the preservation of symbols since the Middle Ages. The awarding of academic degrees and titles in the XXI century is still associated with a consistent structure during which specific rituals – characteristic for University or even each field of study – take place. They become an exemplification of prestige in the academic world, the position of professors, as well as other social groups, and crystallize the place in the hierarchy of various individuals and groups of people, as well as the academic capital that they represent. In this article, I will focus on this initial level of academic career which is a doctorate and especially at this ceremonial or symbolic ritual of passage – the doctoral promotion.

A Comparative Study of the Concepts of Torah in the Hebrew Bible and Li in Zuozhuan

The ancient Israelite concept of Torah as law developed from its initial reference to legal stipulations into a system representing almost everything of social-political and cosmic significance in the postexilic period. Likewise, the ancient Chinese notion of li (禮) transformed from reference to specific rituals into an abstract, all-inclusive, collective concept of cosmic dimensions. This study compares the notions of Torah in the Hebrew Bible (particularly in the Psalms) and li in Zuozhuan (particularly in “Lord Zhao 25”). These concepts share similarities but also differ. They provide mutual insights from perspectives of kingship, the public, and natural order.

„Свештеничка од Марвинци” или „впрегната сопруга”? За семиотиката на железнодобните псалии од кругот на „македонските бронзи”

The main reason for this study are the bronze objects found on the body of a woman (supposedly a “priestess”) from an Iron Age grave (VII century BC) from Marvinci in the Republic of Macedonia. There has also been a bronze statue recently presented in a public space in Skopje, as a contemporary art interpretation of this archeological finding. The main focus of this article is a semiotic analysis of arch-shaped bronze elements from this grave. Based on the form of similar finds from Europe they are defined as cheek-pieces i.e. elements of the reins for horse riding, but in Macedonia they have been used in another function – as female jewelry or as handles of a specific ritual implement. The study suggests overcoming of these contradictions through the following semiotic relations: a girl/mare + equipment for riding = a harnessed mare/wife, i.e. the use of these objects as symbols of a “wild woman” who is transferred from the sphere of “natural” to the sphere of “cultural” through the act of marriage, becoming a “tamed/a domesticated wife”. Within the same relationship the following paradigm is proposed (husband = ruler: wife = subject). Several facts are stated in the argumentation of this relationship: the mythological and ritual traditions based on ancient written sources; a ritual tradition of Slavic and Balkan folklore; a Slavic and ancient Greek lexeme with the meaning husband and wife whose etymology is based on the meaning of harnessed. This semiotic relation offers a possible key for the interpretation of the twenty bronze statues of horsemen placed in the last three years in the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, as part of the project “Skopje 2014”.

Schooling Selves: Autonomy, Interdependence, and Reform in Japanese Junior High Education by Peter Cave

Reviewed by: Schooling Selves: Autonomy, Interdependence, and Reform in Japanese Junior High Education by Peter Cave Yuki Imoto (bio) Schooling Selves: Autonomy, Interdependence, and Reform in Japanese Junior High Education. By Peter Cave. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2016. x, 287 pages. $105.00, cloth; $35.00, paper; $35.00, E-book. Schooling Selves by Peter Cave examines the implementation of curricular reforms in junior high schools in Japan. It is the first and only in-depth anthropological work that studies junior high schools in Japan over a critical period of a dozen years and leaves us much to ponder on the complex notions of autonomy and individualization from a comparative educational and philosophical perspective. It demonstrates how school education is deeply related to ideas of selfhood as well as to issues of equity, democracy, and social change. The junior high curriculum reform in question was published in 1998 and implemented in 2002. The revisions were a culmination of debates continuing from the 1980s and signify the national reflexivity that emerged after rapid modernization. The reforms aimed on the one hand to promote sociality and cooperation (a pull toward traditional values) and, on the other hand, to promote autonomous learning and to develop “creative” people who could think for themselves, rather than simply acquire existing knowledge imported from the West. With the implementation of the reforms, a new curricular area called “integrated studies” was introduced; there was a significant reduction in the number of class hours for traditional subjects; and elective subjects were introduced. The reforms received criticism and were branded a failure when international testing scores uncovered a national decline in academic standards. In 2008 conventional academic subjects were increased and electives were abolished. Cave’s work is based on fieldwork at two junior high schools located in the Kinki district of Japan. The fieldwork includes one year of participant observation in the late 1990s at Tachibana Junior High School and participant observation at both Tachibana and Yoneda Junior High Schools in the 2000s after the curricular reforms were published. This diachronic perspective allows for insight into what changed and what did not as a result of the 1998 reforms. The account reveals, fundamentally, that there was less change on the ground level than one might expect from the outside. The chapters forming the body of the book are richly ethnographic and focus on specific rituals and traditions within the school’s activities (the cultural festival, the sports day, and the choral contest), group formations and their relations (the classroom and the extracurricular club), textual [End Page 245] discourses and their interpretations (content of textbooks, implementation of integrated studies), and relations of junior high school education with other institutions such as the juku and high school entrance examinations. Cave’s account and analysis is nuanced and intricate, aiming to “go beyond antimonies of individual and society, or individualism and group orientation” and “look more deeply at the diversity of discourses of self in Japan and how they interact in dynamic ways” (p. 2). Thus, the book can be seen as a complementary extension of Cave’s previous monograph, Primary School in Japan,1 which identified various discourses of the individual self. In Schooling Selves, specific attention is given to the notion of autonomy. Cave unravels its complexity, explaining how “distinguishing between individualization and autonomy shows that education that emphasizes working with others is not necessarily autonomy-limiting, while education that individualizes is not necessarily autonomy-promoting” (p. 37). In what follows, I present an overview of the book, paying attention to what the empirical findings illuminate about the notion of autonomy in Japanese education. One highlight of Cave’s ethnography is the “school fieldtrip” for first-year students at the beginning of the school year at Tachibana Junior High School, presented in chapter 2. When Cave first joined the fieldtrip in 1996, its function (evoking the company “spiritual education” or seishin kyōiku described by Thomas Rohlen2) was to strengthen group life (shūdan seikatsu) among students and teachers with emphasis on discipline, building identity, and cooperation. The fieldtrip was abandoned in 1998 due to time constraints brought on by the reduction of school teaching days. It was...

The Mystery of Anointing: Hippolytus’ Commentary on the Song of Songs in Social and Critical Contexts by Yancy Smith

Reviewed by: The Mystery of Anointing: Hippolytus’ Commentary on the Song of Songs in Social and Critical Contexts by Yancy Smith Jeremy F. Hultin Yancy Smith The Mystery of Anointing: Hippolytus’ Commentary on the Song of Songs in Social and Critical Contexts Gorgias Studies in Early Christianity and Patristics 62 Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2015 Pp. xxxviii + 614. $243.00. This book is a substantial revision of Smith’s 2009 dissertation, completed at Brite Divinity School. The majority of the book (Chapters 1–10) is comprised of a wide-ranging study of Hippolytus’s In Canticum canticorum, attending especially to what the text reveals about the social realities, rituals, and beliefs of its author and audience. The book’s final chapter presents the extant texts and new English translations of the In Cant. The work concludes with a bibliography, a brief index of scriptural passages and passages from Hippolytus, and a general index. Smith opens with a ninety-page discussion of date, provenance, and authorship. There are, of course, long-standing debates about the identity of Hippolytus and the extent of his corpus. Broadly speaking, Smith aligns himself with the perspective of Allen Brent (Hippolytus and the Roman Church in the Third Century: Communities in Tension before the Emergence of a Monarch-Bishop, Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 31 [Leiden: Brill, 1995]). The Hippolytus who wrote biblical commentaries is someone other than the “Pseudo-Hippolytus” who wrote the Refutation of All Heresies, but both figures were a part of the same Roman “church-school,” and Hippolytus the commentator knew the writings of Pseudo-Hippolytus. Smith argues that that “Hippolytus was a culturally eastern writer living in the West (Rome)” (xxvi), who might have emigrated from Alexandria, Syria, or Asia Minor. Smith adds a few new arguments for locating Hippolytus in Rome. Namely, Smith asserts that Hippolytus’s belief that Easter (Pascha) was the suitable time for baptism (Comm. Dan. 1.17.2), and his references to post-baptismal anointing (a possible deduction from In Cant. 2.8–9), both indicate a Roman context. Since the evidence from this period for Easter baptism is so slender (the only reference besides the Comm. Dan. is Tertullian, Bapt. 19), such arguments are unlikely to persuade those scholars who hold that Hippolytus wrote in the East. Smith proposes a new way to date the In Cant. The text describes the thirty denarii Judas received for Jesus as “an easy price,” meant to show that “the poor also could easily attain him” (In Cant. 2.31). In Smith’s view, the assumption that thirty denarii would be accessible to the poor reflects the hyperinflation of 211–17 c.e. As for the Sitz im Leben of the In Cant., Smith revives, and greatly elaborates [End Page 499] on, the older proposal that the work was originally delivered as an Easter homily. In Smith’s view, the commentary as we have it should be understood not as a homily per se, but rather as “notebooks for liturgical use … for the instruction of new converts” (69) on the occasion of their Easter baptism. In Cant. does include several passages that might correspond to a liturgy. For instance, when Hippolytus celebrates the power of the “anointing oil” (Song 1.3), which is God’s Word, he also issues an invitation to “come and draw near, that you may be able to be filled by means of the anointing oil” (In Cant. 2.9). There is also a summons to a eucharistic meal, described with nuptial imagery: “See these marvelous couches (cf. Song 3.7), for all who see [them] are called to the righteous nuptials, tasting the water become wine” (In Cant. 27.6). In general Smith regards ancient banqueting customs as extremely important for understanding In Cant. This may be true, but I found myself wondering: If communal feasting was really so paramount for Hippolytus, then why does he skip from Song 2.3 to 2.8, without offering any comment on the vivid banqueting imagery in Song 2.4–5? As for the proposed Easter setting of In Cant., Smith admits that the evidence is “slim” (239). Having detected references to these specific rituals and this liturgical...

“No Worshipping the Images of Saints... ”: the Perception of the Biblical Pohibition in the Culture of the Russian Subbotniks in the 18th –19th Centuries

One of the main markers of the Russian Subbotniks movement was the prohibition of icon-worship, mentioned in the earliest official sources about the Judaizers. Case investigations reflected in the archival documents bristle with information about rejection of icons by sectarians. But besides these uninformative stereotype accusations, we also find more detailed descriptions of iconoclastic ideas and practices of the «Russian Jews». These were diverse practices – individual, collective, secret, public – of rejecting images. Some of them became specific rituals of revealing followers of «Mosaic Law» to the church and secular authorities. These were practices of desecration of icons – also more or less concealed and demonstrative; some of them were harsh and aggressive. Proving the importance of the prohibition of the icon worship, the Judaizers traditionally referred to the Old Testament texts – i.e. the Pentateuch, the Book of Psalms and Book of Wisdom. The Molokan-Subbotniks in similar cases used the New Testament as well. The attitude to the sacred images became a popular subject of disputes between the Judaizers and missionaries in the last decades of the 19th century. The efforts of the missionaries to distinguish between icons and idols were in vain. The Subbotniks did not accept arguments that were not based on the quotes from the sacred texts. And the Orthodox Christians priests, in turn, could not adequately use the potential of patristic theology, revealing the essence of Christian worship of icons. Their arguments turned out to be irrelevant for representatives of a typical textual community. Strict prohibition of icon-worship did not exclude substitute and visualization practices in the Subbotnik communities. These were the replacing of icons by the Bible and sacred inscriptions, the use of paintings of the Old Testament subjects as well as drawings depicting the All-Seeing Eye and the ritual of venerating the image of Moses, reminiscent of the worship of the icon in the Orthodox Christianity.

Validation of the SpREUK—Religious Practices Questionnaire as a Measure of Christian Religious Practices in a General Population and in Religious Persons

Measures of spirituality should be multidimensional and inclusive and as such be applicable to persons with different worldviews and spiritual-religious beliefs and attitudes. Nevertheless, for distinct research purposes it may be relevant to more accurately differentiate specific religious practices, rituals and behaviors. It was thus the aim of this study to validate a variant version of the SpREUK-P questionnaire (which measures frequency of engagement in a large spectrum of organized and private religious, spiritual, existential and philosophical practices). This variant version was enriched with items addressing specific rituals and practices of Catholic religiosity, by further differentiating items of praying and meditation. The instrument was then tested in a sample of Catholics (inclusively nuns and monks), Protestants, and in non-religious persons. This 23-item SpREUK-RP (Religious Practices) questionnaire has four factors (i.e., Prosocial-Humanistic practices; General religious practices; Catholic religious practices; Existentialistic practices/Gratitude and Awe) and good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.84 to 0.94). An advantage of this instrument is that it is not generally contaminated with items related to persons’ well-being, and it is not intermixed with specific religious attitudes and convictions.

MAKNA RITUAL KEMATIAN DALAM TRADISI ISLAM JAWA

Death is an important event that is deeply moving in a drama of life, so that such events never allowed to pass. In the traditiorfoiety, the death is always raising different ritual, that is, the sacred ritual. Javanese moslems have special ritual. The ritual is acculturation between Hindu, Budha and Islamic continually in the past, and now it appears a new tradition. This tradition is different from those in other countries

Absence, Memory and Dwelling within the Historiography of the Therapeutic Community

Despite its psychoanalytic origins, the author situates the emergence of the therapeutic community within divergent traditions. He theorizes the therapeutic community as both a ‘place’ and a space at the centre of which is an absence (the un-conscious). This absence is the foundation of the Symbolic. The culture of each community is embodied in specific rituals and customs which represent the Law (Oedipus). And the position the subject adopts in relation to the rules and boundaries in the community always refers us back to his or her singular history. It is here, for the subject of psychosis, that the spectre of the fragmented body emerges, within a psychic homelessness. In the therapeutic community, the boundary between the inside and the outside is inscribed not just in the spatial location but also by the relationships between members of the group. Keywords: Absence, psychoanalysis, unconscious, desire, therapeutic community, Lacan, place, fragmented body.

Agustín de Hipona y las celebraciones en torno a los mártires

Resumen: Durante siglos, los cristianos celebraron el culto a los mártires con ritos, en cierta medida semejantes a los utilizados tradicionalmente en el culto a los difuntos. En concreto, con el refrigerium, que iba acompañado de celebraciones colectivas. Sin embargo, a partir de las últimas décadas del siglo IV, fue prohibida dicha práctica en diversas sedes episcopales bajo el argumento de estar contaminada de paganismo. Pero, al mismo tiempo que se prohibía, se incitaba a donar los gastos de estas celebraciones a actividades caritativas. Dicha caridad era, en gran medida, regulada por la Iglesia a través del episcopado. Así pues, creemos que no puede entenderse la prohibición de las comidas ante las tumbas de los mártires sin asociarlo al progresivo intervencionismo de los obispos, que afectaba no solo a las costumbres de los fieles, sino que también fomentaba una mayor capacidad económica de las diócesis.Abstract: For centuries, Christians celebrated the cult of the martyrs through rituals that were to a certain extent similar to those traditionally performed for the dead. More specifically, these involved the so-called refrigerium, which was accompanied by collective celebrations. However, starting in the final decades of the 4th century, this practice was prohibited in several episcopal sees, which argued that it was contaminated by paganism. Yet interestingly enough, while the specific rituals were banned, the bishops encouraged the faithful to donate the money they would have spent on these celebrations to charitable causes which they themselves controlled and regulated to a great extent. We therefore consider that this ban on feasting next to the tombs of the martyrs cannot be understood unless it is associated with the bishops’ increasing interventionism, which not only affected the customs of the faithful, but also provided the dioceses with larger financial resources.Palabras clave: Tardía Antigüedad, cristianismo, África, Agustín de HiponaKey words: Late Antiquity, Christianity, Africa,Augustine of Hippo

The choice of a child's first name in West Africa

Choosing a name is a powerful act, filled with meaning. In most societies, this act is accompanied by specific rites and rituals. By naming a child, we are acknowledging their existence. A transmission is thereby created between the person giving the name and the person who will bear it. The naming of children in West Africa, particularly among the Soninke people, constitutes an example of the elements which come into play when a child is given a name.

A MORTE NO AMBIENTE DOMÉSTICO: ritos fúnebres no Vale do Paraíba Fluminense Oitocentista (Freguesia de Piraí)

Masses for the souls, prayers, the funeral procession, the burial: the funeral rites were lived in and by the community in the XIX th century. Taking part in these public rites used to help the community to deal with the crisis that was drawn from the departure of one of its members to beyond. However, the preparation for death was initiated in the moribund’s house, even before his departure. This paper intends to analyze how the imminence of death used to transform the sick’s house, an usually domestic and profane environment, to a heterotopic place where specific rites built an atmosphere of exception. There, the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, the public and the private, were confused; the physical imminence of death meant death itself, transforming its disintegrating character into an expectation of transcendence which, tied to the belief of a good death, reconciled the community with itself and with God.

POENA CULLEI. KARA CZY RYTUAŁ?

Poena cullei. Penalty or Ritual?SummaryPoena cullei appears to have been one of the most severe and cruel penalties in Roman criminal law. A convict was sewn up in a leather sack and drowned either in the river or in the sea. This sort of punishm ent was mainly inflicted on kin-murderers, which finds its reflection in numerous ancient sources which describe it as poena parricidi. Kin-murderers are claimed to have been liable to such retribution since the punic wars, and this sanction remained effective all throughout the period of Roman state.The sack penalty was more an act of a purification than a penal sanction in its legal meaning. A kin-m urder was perceived by the Roman society as an appalling act bringing pollution not only upon its perpetrator but also the whole community. In order to restore the previous state of order, the society had to get rid of a criminal in the course of a special ritual. At first a convict was flogged with red rodds. Then he had a lupine mask and clogs put on, to be finally sewn up in a sack with four animals - a dog, a monkey, a cock and a viper and afterwards drowned. According to the Romans, a dog, a cock and a viper were horrible animals. They believed a m urderer would undergo a transformation from a hum an being to a blood-thirsty beast. Surprisingly, the three mentioned above creatures had chtonic character and each of them was supposed to play a crucial part in the underworld.The worst consequences ofpoena cullei were to appear after the death of a criminal. During this gloomy ceremony abolitio imaginis was imposed and a m urderer was deprived of the right to a decent burial. This sort of procedure was applied throughout centuries and even in Christian Times did not lose its religious-ritual nature.