the birth of religion - squarespace
TRANSCRIPT
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The Birth of Religion
http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/Religion.swf
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What is a myth?
Often used to explain natural phenomena
Important driver of culture
NOT just fantasy
The Role of the Myth
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Cultural traditions of Indigenous Peoples
“creation myths”
Different from Mesopotamia (but same time-period)
The Anasazi (900-1300 CE)
Creation myth = came out of the earth, like water
Native American Expansion and Culture
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Navajo Creation Myth = emergence from darkness
Pueblo people (Zuni) creation myth = sprouted like seeds
Similarities b/t Native Americans and others Neolithic cultures:
Animism = living spirits inhabit forces of nature
“kachina” (Pueblo people) & “num” (San tribe, Africa)
Anthropomorphism = nature’s behavior is comparable to man’s
Humans can communicate with spirits
Emergence Tales: Navajo and Zuni
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The importance of place
Examples from Neolithic Cultures:
Stonehenge = megaliths in a “cromlech”
Temples & Ritual
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The importance of place
Examples from Neolithic Cultures:
Stonehenge = megaliths in a “cromlech”
“kiva” of the Pueblo people = room for religious use
Temples & Ritual
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The importance of place
Examples from Neolithic Cultures:
Stonehenge = megaliths in a “cromlech”
“kiva” of the Pueblo people = room for religious use
Olmec in Central America = pyramidal mounds
Temples & Ritual
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The importance of place
Examples from Neolithic Cultures:
Stonehenge = megaliths in a “cromlech”
“kiva” of the Pueblo people = room for religious use
Olmec in Central America = pyramidal mounds
Hopewell tradition = burial mounds
“Great Serpent Mound” in Ohio
Temples & Ritual
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Uruk’s significance = one of the largest/oldest temples
Polytheism = belief in multiple gods
Gods acted like people
Every object had its own god
Importance of the priest class
Temples & ziggurats
Different from Native Americans
No attempt to establish a relationship with the gods
Mesopotamia Finds Religion
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Religion = cornerstone of Egyptian life
King was a god incarnate (initially, Horus)
“nomes” = regional communities; local gods
“maat” = world harmony/balance
Religion in Ancient Egypt
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“Well tended are men, the cattle of god.
He made heaven and earth according to their desire
And repelled the demon of the waters . . .
He made for them rulers (even) in the egg,
A supporter to support the back of the disabled.”
Some Old Kingdom poetry . . .
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Religion = cornerstone of Egyptian life
King was a god incarnate (initially, Horus)
“nomes” = regional communities; local gods
“maat” = world harmony/balance
Egyptian rulers were administrators, not warriors
Cyclical nature of Egyptian religion
Religion in Ancient Egypt