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originally posted by: rickymouse
They don't actually have to be sacrifice tables, they could be places where they processed meat. Some could be for the buffet too. People lined up to go through the church feast with plates and a mug for the wine.
It seems like people always want to stick the word sacrifice on everything without questioning what could have been happening. This is consensus but there were some instances of sacrifice. A thousand years from now are they going to call our slaughterhouses Sacrificial holy sites? Some have smokehouses built with them to smoke hams. The bones go into a big semi though. Two thousand years ago, the bones were hammered into powder and used for various reasons.
Long ago, they burnt the bodies when people died in certain areas and their bones were crushed and cemented into burial artifacts. The headstone could actually be the grave. Other cultures buried their ancestors bones under their floors. There were a lot of traditional practices that we now would consider weird going on those days. Grandma buried in your basement, that would be very weird. But back then it wasn't in some places.
originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: Stormdancer777
I wouldn't be surprised if the earliest deities were all women — women after all have the power of creation. Google image search "venus of" and all the earliest human figurines going back tens of thousands of years are.. ermm.. shapely.. female forms.
originally posted by: Hanslune
a reply to: NavyDoc
That image is from Motel of Mysteries which is a hilarious accounting of the finding of a 1960's motel by future archaeologists.
While pointing to ritual can be over done, modern westerners have clearly forgotten just how important such rituals were in the past and were part of virtually every society.
originally posted by: NavyDoc
originally posted by: Hanslune
a reply to: NavyDoc
That image is from Motel of Mysteries which is a hilarious accounting of the finding of a 1960's motel by future archaeologists.
While pointing to ritual can be over done, modern westerners have clearly forgotten just how important such rituals were in the past and were part of virtually every society.
Yes, I know. It sits on my bookshelf. My 13 year old has discovered it and she finds it hilarious as well. She took it to school and showed the history teacher who also got a kick out of it. I'm glad that newer generations are able to appreciate this satire on Howard Carter's expedition.
Certainly ritual has had and even today still has importance in society, however, it still does seem the default explanation of that which we cannot explain readily.
originally posted by: Hanslune
originally posted by: NavyDoc
originally posted by: Hanslune
a reply to: NavyDoc
That image is from Motel of Mysteries which is a hilarious accounting of the finding of a 1960's motel by future archaeologists.
While pointing to ritual can be over done, modern westerners have clearly forgotten just how important such rituals were in the past and were part of virtually every society.
Yes, I know. It sits on my bookshelf. My 13 year old has discovered it and she finds it hilarious as well. She took it to school and showed the history teacher who also got a kick out of it. I'm glad that newer generations are able to appreciate this satire on Howard Carter's expedition.
Certainly ritual has had and even today still has importance in society, however, it still does seem the default explanation of that which we cannot explain readily.
Its often used as a fall back and is probably correct in many circumstances - but not all. I use to use images from that book all the time, especially with 101 students.
Modern people have tended to forget just how much religious ritual use to be dominate the lives of their ancestors. I'm translating the journal's of my wife's G-G-G grandfather and every other day its some saint or feast day and x and y must be done.
originally posted by: Hanslune
a reply to: rickymouse
....because until modern times people made continual sacrifices to the god(s) when or before eating. A portion of the meal being offered to the god/spirits/ancestors, the Muslim/jewish sacrifice of animals is part of that too.
Modern man has gotten out of the habit of offering food to the gods. etc.
This pushes proof of complex urban civilization in europe back to a parity with mesopotamia