Ritual as a Social Phenomenon in Ancient Near Eastern Societies | ||
| The International Journal of Humanities | ||
| Article 4, Volume 29, Issue 4, 2022, Pages 60-74 PDF (685.3 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Research | ||
| Authors | ||
| Seyed Javad Miri; Shahin Aryamanesh* | ||
| Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Abstract | ||
| One of the most complex issues in understanding the evolution of human society is religion. However, religion in this sense is not the spiritual dimension of confessional or rhetorical form; rather it is a social phenomenon that has long been considered as one of the fundamental components of human society. Archaeological excavations often lead to the unearthing of movable and immovable objects that bear an obvious symbolic insignia; this is suggestive of the roles of beliefs and convictions in the formation of these objects. For instance, during the Neolithic period in some archeological sites such as Catalhoyuk in Anatolia, Sheikhiabad in Kermanshah and a number of other sites in the Near East, some objects were found that can be considered as symbolic made for specific purposes according to humans’ rituals and beliefs. In the present article, we study the views and theories of anthropologists and sociologists about religions, and the views of archaeologists about symbolism and religion in the contemporary world and in the beginning of the Neolithic period. Employing an interpretive approach, we examine and analyze possible intentions behind construction and functions of these symbolic objects. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Social Phenomenon; religion; Society; Early Neolithic; Symbol; Ritual; Totem | ||
| References | ||
|
| ||
|
Statistics Article View: 132 PDF Download: 116 |
||
| Number of Journals | 45 |
| Number of Issues | 2,171 |
| Number of Articles | 24,674 |
| Article View | 24,449,160 |
| PDF Download | 17,555,689 |