A probe into the spiritual life of prehistoric people, a reflection of shamanism in archaeology

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62690094%3A18460%2F19%3A50016391" target="_blank" >RIV/62690094:18460/19:50016391 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

A probe into the spiritual life of prehistoric people, a reflection of shamanism in archaeology

Original language description

This chapter deals with spiritual life in the Stone Age, briefly in the Paleolithic period, in more detail in the Neolithic and Eneolithic. The chapter deals with some paintings and engravings from caves, such as the engraving of a mysterious creature with part of the human body part of the animal body from the cave of Les Combarelles (France). This engraving could prove a belief in the unity of man and animal. The important grave of a shaman, the sorcerer from Brno, Francouzská Street was mentioned, which included, among other things, a puppet of a man from ivory. Some unique ceramic statuettes of animals from the locality Dolní Věstonice and Pavlov (South Moravia) were intentionally damaged. The parts of these statuettes could be used in hunting rituals. So called command staffs have a number of explanations. Their use as drumsticks for ritual drums cannot be excluded. The hole against the handle could be used to &quot;banish the evil forces&quot;. It is a epoch of religious ideas that can be classified as animism, animatism and demonism. These religious ideas survive to the Neolithic, when these religious wayif thinking evolve into a period of prototheism. Remarkable is a small ritual vessel in the shape of a billy goat but with a human face. Numerous ceramic anthropomorphic statuettes and images on vessels of the Linear Pottery culture were described (Vedrovice), and especially the female statues of the Moravian - East-Austrian group of Painted Pottery culture from Moravia, which were anonymously depicted as idols of the cult of fruitfullness and fertility. Anthropomorphic vessels could also be used for rituals. Described is a vessel depicting a woman with miniature containers in hands from the settlement Těšetice-Kyjovice, where the rondel was excavated. Very valuable is the finding of a small vessel in the shape of a billy goat but with a human face (&quot;centaur&quot;).Kernos and pseudokernos (Střelice, Hluboké Mašůvky, Moravia etc.) could also be used for rituals. Interestingly, there is evidence of the use of masks in religious ceremonies (eg Liubcova, Banat; Uivar, Romania). Eneolithic is characterized by the transformation of Neolithic prototheism into the earliest period of polytheism. Some statuettes were made including details such as clothing or body ornaments. It is possible that they already depict goddesses, priestesses (eg Vesnus of Hluboké Mašůvky) and priests or chiefs. There are also very rich graves of chiefs with copper pectorals (Štramberk-Kotouč, Moravia; Velvary, Bohemia) and tiaras (Vörs, Hungary).

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

C - Chapter in a specialist book

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60102 - Archaeology

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2019

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Book/collection name

Shamanism and Natureworship. Past and Present

ISBN

978-615-80206-7-1

Number of pages of the result

42

Pages from-to

58-99

Number of pages of the book

287

Publisher name

István Türr Museum Baja (Keskeny end Társai, Budapest)

Place of publication

Budapest

UT code for WoS chapter

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