Page 32 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 32 of 348 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
14
how humans respond to sensory cues in the world around them. Though these works
represent the understanding of only a small, male, educated segment of the ancient
population, they nevertheless comprise our most important data on how the senses were
understood in antiquity.21
Working within this framework of Greek and Roman literature on sensory
perception, I investigate the roles of the senses in one important facet of daily life in the
ancient city, namely, sacrifice to the gods. In many cases, I have elected to analyze well-known
and often-discussed examples from ancient literature and material culture in order
to demonstrate how fresh approaches to a familiar body of facts may result in new
knowledge, or at least new questions.
The Senses in Greek and Roman Sacrifice: Sources of Evidence and
Methodological Challenges
Performing a sacrifice was one of the most sensorially full actions undertaken in the
Greco-Roman world.22 When the ancient Greeks and Romans sacrificed to their gods,
the sights, sounds and smells of the rites permeated the city. The smoke from altars filled
the air with incense, the voices of choirs were raised in song to the accompaniment of
21 See my Appendix for an extended discussion of classical sources dealing with the understanding of the
senses in the Greek and Roman world.
22 The literature concerning the historical bases for ancient sacrificial practice, as well as the many theories
of the sociological and religious meanings of the ceremonies, is extensive. Scholars in the fields of
anthropology, classical studies, religious studies and ancient history have addressed the topic. Among the
most fundamental of their studies are: E. Durkheim 1961; O. Reverdin et al. 1981; W. Burkert 1985;
Burkert et al. 1987; M. Detienne 1989, J.-L. Durand (1989a, 1989b) and J.-P. Vernant 1989 (collected in
Detienne and Vernant 1989). A recent sourcebook that compiles helpful materials on the topic is J. Carter
(2003). Although within a project of this scope it is impossible to address all of the important strains of
thought regarding sacrifice in the scholarly literature, I will refer to some of the theories that bear directly
on the importance and meaning of the senses in sacrificial practice.
Object Description
| Title | Making sense of sacrifice: Sensory experience in Greco-Roman cult |
| Author | Weddle, Candace Cherie |
| Author email | candaceweddle@gmail.com; weddle@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Art History |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-04 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-04-27 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Pollini, John |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Yasin, Ann Marie Bitel, Lisa |
| Abstract | Performing a sacrifice was one of the most sensorially full actions undertaken in the Greco-Roman world. The production and control of the correct movements, scents and sounds were prerequisites for summoning, communicating with and propitiating deities. Sacrifice was also ubiquitous, occurring on an almost continual basis as a range of sacrificial activities were celebrated publicly and privately in a variety of locations in urban areas. Cultivating a multi-sensory understanding of the full range of sensory elements that accompanied ancient cult rites – visual and auditory cues, things smelled, tasted and touched - provides a platform for achieving a more thorough knowledge of the meanings of the rites.; This dissertation examines the archaeological, literary and epigraphical evidence for the role of the senses in Greek and Roman sacrifice in order to analyze the social and ritual importance of the senses, the impact of sacrificial rituals within ancient urban spaces, and the sensory experience of the ancient worshiper. Given the ephemeral nature of much of the evidence for sensory elements of worship, as well as the subjectivity inherent in representations of sensory experience in literature and art, this dissertation argues for the necessity of crossing disciplinary boundaries in order to appreciate the sensory impact of ancient sacrifice. Therefore, in addition to utilizing traditional historical and art historical approaches, methodological tools from the field of anthropology and evidence from studies in the animal behavioral sciences and consumer sciences are employed. For example, I suggest that greater understanding of the experience of ancient sacrifice may be acquired through an autoethnographic investigation of modern religious sacrifice. To that end, I analyze my experience of the slaughter of large numbers of bovines during the Islamic Kurban Bayram sacrifices in Istanbul to make suggestions concerning certain elements of the sensory experience of ancient blood sacrifice. I focus not only on the sensory experience of humans participating in (or within range of) sacrifices, but also on that of the animal victims. Given the immense ritual importance of the behavior of sacrificial animals in antiquity, I suggest that it is possible to identify some sensory aspects of the sacrificial process that may have been intentionally manipulated in order to control the reactions of the victims as far as possible.; Particular attention is paid to mundane aspects of the process of sacrifice not often addressed in ancient literary sources or represented in art that would have resulted in notable sensory impacts on areas surrounding urban temples, for example the removal of sacrificial refuse. I conclude not only that these elements of sacrifice formed an important part of the sensory experience of Greco-Roman cult, but also that their effects were more far-reaching – in terms both of how great an area they affected and how long they lasted – than has previously been recognized. Using fresh interdisciplinary approaches to well-known examples of texts and images, this dissertation employs a more visceral approach to the study of the sensory experience of ancient sacrifice than is possible when considering textual and archaeological evidence alone. |
| Keyword | archaeology; autoethnography; cult; Greece; religion; Rome; sacrifice; senses |
| Geographic subject (city or populated place) | Rome |
| Geographic subject (country) | Italy; Greece |
| Coverage date | circa -0600/0600 |
| Coverage era | Greco Roman |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3788 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Weddle, Candace Cherie |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Weddle-4363 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume48/etd-Weddle-4363.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 32 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 14 how humans respond to sensory cues in the world around them. Though these works represent the understanding of only a small, male, educated segment of the ancient population, they nevertheless comprise our most important data on how the senses were understood in antiquity.21 Working within this framework of Greek and Roman literature on sensory perception, I investigate the roles of the senses in one important facet of daily life in the ancient city, namely, sacrifice to the gods. In many cases, I have elected to analyze well-known and often-discussed examples from ancient literature and material culture in order to demonstrate how fresh approaches to a familiar body of facts may result in new knowledge, or at least new questions. The Senses in Greek and Roman Sacrifice: Sources of Evidence and Methodological Challenges Performing a sacrifice was one of the most sensorially full actions undertaken in the Greco-Roman world.22 When the ancient Greeks and Romans sacrificed to their gods, the sights, sounds and smells of the rites permeated the city. The smoke from altars filled the air with incense, the voices of choirs were raised in song to the accompaniment of 21 See my Appendix for an extended discussion of classical sources dealing with the understanding of the senses in the Greek and Roman world. 22 The literature concerning the historical bases for ancient sacrificial practice, as well as the many theories of the sociological and religious meanings of the ceremonies, is extensive. Scholars in the fields of anthropology, classical studies, religious studies and ancient history have addressed the topic. Among the most fundamental of their studies are: E. Durkheim 1961; O. Reverdin et al. 1981; W. Burkert 1985; Burkert et al. 1987; M. Detienne 1989, J.-L. Durand (1989a, 1989b) and J.-P. Vernant 1989 (collected in Detienne and Vernant 1989). A recent sourcebook that compiles helpful materials on the topic is J. Carter (2003). Although within a project of this scope it is impossible to address all of the important strains of thought regarding sacrifice in the scholarly literature, I will refer to some of the theories that bear directly on the importance and meaning of the senses in sacrificial practice. |
