Earth, Vessels, and Harmony among the Gurensi

Smith, F T H

doi:10.2307/3336719

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…There might have been practical reasons for the use of grog as temper -it was certainly a readily available temper material. Ethnographic studies have also shown strong social and symbolic value in the practice of tempering new pots with old ones (Gosselain, 1999;Gosselain and Livingstone Smith, 2005;Pikirayi and Lindahl, 2013;Smith, 1989;Sterner, 1989). It might be that the foreign grog represents traces of potters who arrived at a new home (e.g., due to migration or marriage), with their personal ceramic utensils.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing grog and pots to reveal Neolithic Corded Ware Culture contacts in the Baltic Sea region (SEM-EDS, PIXE)

Holmqvist

Larsson

Крийска

et al. 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science

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The Neolithic Corded Ware Culture (CWC) complex spread across the Baltic Sea region ca. 2900/2800-2300/2000 BCE. Whether this cultural adaptation was driven by migration or diffusion remains widely debated. To gather evidence for contact and movement in the CWC material culture, grog-tempered CWC pots from 24 archaeological sites in southern Baltoscandia (Estonia and the southern regions of Finland and Sweden) were sampled for geochemical and micro-structural analyses. Scanning electron micro-scopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) were used for geochemical discrimination of the ceramic fabrics to identify regional CWC pottery-manufacturing traditions and ceramic exchange. Major and minor element concentrations in the ceramic body matrices of 163 individual vessels and grog temper (crushed pottery) present in the ceramic fabrics were measured by SEM-EDS. Furthermore, the high-sensitivity PIXE technique was applied for group confirmation. The combined pot and grog matrix data reveal eight geochemical clusters. At least five geochemical groups appeared to be associated with specific find locations and regional manufacturing traditions. The results indicated complex inter-site and cross-Baltic Sea pottery exchange patterns, which became more defined through the grog data, i.e., the previous generations of pots. The CWC pottery exhibited high technological standards at these latitudes, which, together with the identified exchange patterns and the existing evidence of mobility based on human remains elsewhere in the CWC complex, is indicative of the relocation of skilled potters, possibly through exogamy. An analytical protocol for the geochemical discrimination of grog-tempered pottery, and its challenges and possibilities, is presented. explore the life histories of individuals, and CWC cemeteries in Germany, for instance, have shown a high degree of individual mobility, especially for women (e.g. Sjögren et al., 2016). While these new analyses have provided an understanding of the general processes occurring in Europe at the time, the model is difficult to verify in Finland and Sweden due to the scarcity of well-preserved human CWC remains (Malmström et al., 2015). To reveal details about the regional and local processes that led to the establishment of the Corded Ware culture in southern Baltoscandia, we must combine the analysis of human remains with new ways of examining the material culture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing grog and pots to reveal Neolithic Corded Ware Culture contacts in the Baltic Sea region (SEM-EDS, PIXE)

Holmqvist

Larsson

Крийска

et al. 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science

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“…Although figurines and amulets are typically discussed as having been part of magical acts or protection from such acts, objects functioning as containers (such as buildings and incensarios) appear to be the most common category of material culture in which mana is imbued or transferred, resulting in people and objects with power and agency (Gosselain 1999; Mondragon 2004; Pendergast 1998; Smith 1989; Sterner 1989; Stross 1998). The construction of buildings reflects not only a building event, but a consecration of space that “activates” and cleanses places, establishing a connection with the larger sacred landscape as well as gods and ancestors, and may protect its occupants from malevolent forces (Stross 1998:32).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Souls of the Ancestors: Postclassic Maya Architecture, Incensarios, and Mana

Cecil

Pugh²

2018

Ancient Mesoam

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In this article, we consider how the Postclassic Kowoj Maya of the central Peten lakes region of El Petén, Guatemala utilized mana in conjunction with their ritual objects and spolia to mediate between the natural and supernatural worlds. In many cultures worldwide and throughout time, mana (magical or spiritual powers that provide people and objects with a living force) transforms the ordinary into the spiritually powerful. The Kowojs imbued incense burners and buildings with mana, thus facilitating a connection with their ancestors. We examine the manufacturing recipe of a group of incense burners and the civic-ceremonial buildings at Zacpeten to argue that the Kowoj used these objects to mediate among the living, the dead, and the supernatural realms. Ultimately, by empowering these objects with mana, the Kowoj constructed a universe where they regularly communicated with their ancestors and built structures that ensouled their historical consciousness.

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“…We do not yet know if women have always been excluded from the direct act of sacrifice at Tallensi ancestral and destiny shrines, for in other ways the female presence is manifest in archaeological deposits in ritual contexts, as in the Tallensi earth shrine of Nyoo (Insoll et al, in press). Here, the deliberate deposition of numerous pots, seemingly a female product based on contemporary parallels (Smith, 1989), indicates a fundamental female contribution to the shrine. Furthermore, the use of pots -objects with female connections -in rituals imbues those rituals with some degree of female presence (Goodall, 2007;Insoll, in preparation b).…”

Section: ■ the Materialit Y Of Tallensi Destinymentioning

confidence: 98%

Negotiating the archaeology of destiny

Insoll

2008

Journal of Social Archaeology

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The concept of `destiny' is perhaps irrelevant to much of modern thinking in Western Europe and North America and hence fails to enter archaeological vocabulary. This is potentially an omission of consequence, for social psychology indicates that the belief that life is beyond the control of human agency can be a powerful one. Drawing upon ethnographic and archaeological data from the Tallensi of Northern Ghana, the potential resonance of `destiny' in archaeological interpretation is explored with reference to some examples of deposition from later British prehistory.

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Earth, Vessels, and Harmony among the Gurensi

Cited by 20 publications

References 1 publication

Tracing grog and pots to reveal Neolithic Corded Ware Culture contacts in the Baltic Sea region (SEM-EDS, PIXE)

Tracing grog and pots to reveal Neolithic Corded Ware Culture contacts in the Baltic Sea region (SEM-EDS, PIXE)

Souls of the Ancestors: Postclassic Maya Architecture, Incensarios, and Mana

Negotiating the archaeology of destiny

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