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308
took an extremely active role in the perception of scent. Odorous particles were not
simply wafted into the brain through the nasal canals with every intake of breath, as
Aristotle seems to have supposed. Galen, during medical procedures such as trepanning
that necessitated the removal of sections of the skull, had observed that the human brain
pulsed continuously. He credited this pulsing motion with creating a suction that pulled
air into the brain, and with it, scent particles.453 Though in his opinion the human body
lacked a dedicated peripheral organ of smell, the brain seemed to actively pursue odors.
In keeping with his role as a physician, Galen described the uses of odors as both
indicators of illness and treatments for ailments. Commenting on Hippocrates’s On the
Humors (Περί Χυμῶν), he noted that offensive body odors could be caused by “putrid
ulcers, decayed teeth, stomach ailments and other diseases.”454 Galen also remarked on
the fact that difficulty correctly processing scent could be a symptom of illness, though
he was ultimately more interested in how a patient smelled (that is, in what odors he
produced) than in how he smelled (his powers of odor perception).455 Perhaps more
interestingly, Galen investigated disruptions of normal olfactory function, sensory
hallucinations that presented in the form of odors rather than visual disturbances.456
Other ancient sources that treat the sense of smell often do so in the context of
discussing specific scents that pervaded the ancient atmosphere, in particular spices. The
453 Siegel 1970, 153-54.
454 F.G. Kühn 1821-1823, 16:215 (transl. Siegel 1970, 156). σαπρότητα τῶν οὐλῶν ἢ τοὺς ὀδόντας
χαχουμίνους, ἤ τι ἕλχος ἢ διὰ τὴν τοῦ στομάχου χάχωσιν ἢ διὰ ἄλλο τι.
455 Siegel 1970, 157.
456 See De ar. med. 21. A text of this work in its original language was unavailable to me at the time of
writing.
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 326 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 308 took an extremely active role in the perception of scent. Odorous particles were not simply wafted into the brain through the nasal canals with every intake of breath, as Aristotle seems to have supposed. Galen, during medical procedures such as trepanning that necessitated the removal of sections of the skull, had observed that the human brain pulsed continuously. He credited this pulsing motion with creating a suction that pulled air into the brain, and with it, scent particles.453 Though in his opinion the human body lacked a dedicated peripheral organ of smell, the brain seemed to actively pursue odors. In keeping with his role as a physician, Galen described the uses of odors as both indicators of illness and treatments for ailments. Commenting on Hippocrates’s On the Humors (Περί Χυμῶν), he noted that offensive body odors could be caused by “putrid ulcers, decayed teeth, stomach ailments and other diseases.”454 Galen also remarked on the fact that difficulty correctly processing scent could be a symptom of illness, though he was ultimately more interested in how a patient smelled (that is, in what odors he produced) than in how he smelled (his powers of odor perception).455 Perhaps more interestingly, Galen investigated disruptions of normal olfactory function, sensory hallucinations that presented in the form of odors rather than visual disturbances.456 Other ancient sources that treat the sense of smell often do so in the context of discussing specific scents that pervaded the ancient atmosphere, in particular spices. The 453 Siegel 1970, 153-54. 454 F.G. Kühn 1821-1823, 16:215 (transl. Siegel 1970, 156). σαπρότητα τῶν οὐλῶν ἢ τοὺς ὀδόντας χαχουμίνους, ἤ τι ἕλχος ἢ διὰ τὴν τοῦ στομάχου χάχωσιν ἢ διὰ ἄλλο τι. 455 Siegel 1970, 157. 456 See De ar. med. 21. A text of this work in its original language was unavailable to me at the time of writing. |
