The Materiality of Magic

An artifactual investigation into ritual practices and popular beliefs

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology, History
Cover of the book The Materiality of Magic by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage, Oxbow Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage ISBN: 9781785700118
Publisher: Oxbow Books Publication: December 31, 2015
Imprint: Oxbow Books Language: English
Author: Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
ISBN: 9781785700118
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Publication: December 31, 2015
Imprint: Oxbow Books
Language: English

The subject of ‘magic’ has long been considered peripheral and sensationalist, the word itself having become something of an academic taboo. However, beliefs in magic and the rituals that surround them are extensive – as are their material manifestations – and to avoid them is to ignore a prevalent aspect of cultures worldwide, from prehistory to the present day. The Materiality of Magic addresses the value of the material record as a resource in investigations into magic, ritual practices, and popular beliefs. The chronological and geographic focuses of the papers presented here vary from prehistory to the present-day, including numinous interpretations of fossils and ritual deposits in Bronze Age Europe; apotropaic devices in Roman and Medieval Britain; the evolution of superstitions and ritual customs – from the ‘voodoo doll’ of Europe and Africa to a Scottish ‘wishing-tree’; and an exploration of spatiality in West African healing practices.
The objectives of this collection of nine papers are twofold. First, to provide a platform from which to showcase innovative research and theoretical approaches in a subject which has largely been neglected within archaeology and related disciplines, and, secondly, to redress this neglect. The papers were presented at the 2012 Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference in Liverpool.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The subject of ‘magic’ has long been considered peripheral and sensationalist, the word itself having become something of an academic taboo. However, beliefs in magic and the rituals that surround them are extensive – as are their material manifestations – and to avoid them is to ignore a prevalent aspect of cultures worldwide, from prehistory to the present day. The Materiality of Magic addresses the value of the material record as a resource in investigations into magic, ritual practices, and popular beliefs. The chronological and geographic focuses of the papers presented here vary from prehistory to the present-day, including numinous interpretations of fossils and ritual deposits in Bronze Age Europe; apotropaic devices in Roman and Medieval Britain; the evolution of superstitions and ritual customs – from the ‘voodoo doll’ of Europe and Africa to a Scottish ‘wishing-tree’; and an exploration of spatiality in West African healing practices.
The objectives of this collection of nine papers are twofold. First, to provide a platform from which to showcase innovative research and theoretical approaches in a subject which has largely been neglected within archaeology and related disciplines, and, secondly, to redress this neglect. The papers were presented at the 2012 Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG) conference in Liverpool.

More books from Oxbow Books

Cover of the book Seals and their Context in the Middle Ages by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book The Tripolye Culture Giant-Settlements in Ukraine by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Invention and Innovation by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book The Times of Their Lives by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book House of the Surgeon, Pompeii by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Archaeologies of waste by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Fortified Settlements in Early Medieval Europe by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Side-by-Side Survey by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book The Macedonians in Athens, 322-229 B.C. by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Reconstructing Past Population Trends in Mediterranean Europe (3000 BC - AD 1800) by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Antiquarianisms by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Quality Management in Archaeology by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Colonisation, Migration, and Marginal Areas by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Transformation in Anglo-Saxon Culture by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
Cover of the book Paths to Complexity - Centralisation and Urbanisation in Iron Age Europe by Ceri Houlbrook, Natalie Armitage
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy