Sacred Darkness
Sacred Darkness

Author: Holley Moyes

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2012-09-01

Total Pages: 607

ISBN-13: 1457117509

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Caves have been used in various ways across human society but despite the persistence within popular culture of the iconic caveman, deep caves were never used primarily as habitation sites for early humans. Rather, in both ancient and contemporary contexts, caves have served primarily as ritual spaces. In Sacred Darkness, contributors use archaeological evidence as well as ethnographic studies of modern ritual practices to envision the cave as place of spiritual and ideological power and a potent venue for ritual practice. Covering the ritual use of caves in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, Mesoamerica, and the US Southwest and Eastern woodlands, this book brings together case studies by prominent scholars whose research spans from the Paleolithic period to the present day. These contributions demonstrate that cave sites are as fruitful as surface contexts in promoting the understanding of both ancient and modern religious beliefs and practices. This state-of-the-art survey of ritual cave use will be one of the most valuable resources for understanding the role of caves in studies of religion, sacred landscape, or cosmology and a must-read for any archaeologist interested in caves.

The Human Use of Caves
The Human Use of Caves

Author: Clive Bonsall

Publisher: BAR International Series

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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Twenty-eight essays by a very distinguished collection of contributors who were invited to speak at a conference in Newcastle in 1993 on a number of themes in terms of evidence for cave and rockshelter use in their areas of the world.

Caves in Context
Caves in Context

Author: Knut Andreas Bergsvik

Publisher: Oxbow Books Limited

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781842174746

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Caves in Context provides the thriving inter-disciplinary field of cave studies with a European-scale survey of current research in cave archaeology. It is unified by a contemporary theoretical emphasis on the cultural significance and diversity of caves over space and time. Caves and rockshelters are found all over Europe, and have frequently been occupied by human groups, from prehistory right up to the present day. Some appear to have only traces of short occupations, while others contain deep cultural deposits, indicating longer and multiple occupations. Above all, there is great variability in their human use, both secular and sacred. The aim of this book is to explore the multiple significances of these natural places in a range of chronological, spatial, and cultural contexts across Europe. The volume demonstrates, through a diversity of archaeological approaches and examples, that cave studies, whist necessarily focussed, can also be of significance to wider, contemporary, archaeological research agendas, particularly when a contextual approach is adopted. The book is also of relevance to other scholars working in the related fields of speleology, earth sciences, landscape studies, and anthropology, which together comprise the inter-disciplinary field of cave studies.

Between Worlds
Between Worlds

Author: Lindsey Büster

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2018-12-18

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 3319990225

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The recent resurgence of academic interest in caves has demonstrated the central roles they played as arenas for ritual, ceremony and performance, and their importance within later prehistoric cosmologies. Caves represent very particular types of archaeological site and require novel approaches to their recording, interpretation and presentation. This is especially true in understanding the ritual use of caves, when the less tangible aspects of these environments would have been fundamental to the practices taking place within them. Between Worlds explores new theoretical frameworks that examine the agency of these enduring 'natural' places and the complex interplay between environment, taphonomy and human activity. It also showcases the application of innovative technologies, such as 3D laser-scanning and acoustic modelling, which provide new and exciting ways of capturing the experiential qualities of these enigmatic sites. Together, these developments offer more nuanced understandings of the role of caves in prehistoric ritual, and allow for more effective communication, management and presentation of cave archaeology to a wide range of audiences.

Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit
Cave Paintings and the Human Spirit

Author: David S. Whitley

Publisher: Prometheus Books

Published: 2009-09-25

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 1615920560

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Whitley, one of the world's leading experts on cave paintings, rewrites the understanding of shamanism and its connection with artistic creativity, myth, and religion by interweaving archaeological evidence with the latest findings of cutting-edge neuroscience.

Cave
Cave

Author: Ralph Crane

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Published: 2015-04-15

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1780234600

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Shortlisted for the Tratman Award 2015 To enter caves is to venture beyond the realm of the everyday. From huge vaulted caverns to impassable, water-filled passages; from the karst topography of Guilin in China to the lava tubes of Hawaii; from tiny remote pilgrimage sites to massive tourism enterprises, caves are places of mystery. Dark spaces that remain largely unexplored, caves are astonishing wonders of nature and habitats for exotic flora and fauna. This book investigates the natural and cultural history of caves and considers the roles caves have played in the human imagination and experience of the natural world. It explores the long history of the human fascination with caves, across countries and continents, examining their dual role as spaces of both wonder and fear. It tells the tales of the adventurers who pioneered the science of caves and those of the explorers and cave-divers still searching for new, unmapped routes deep into the earth. This book explores the lure of the subterranean world by examining caving and cave tourism and by looking to the mythology, literature, and art of caves. This lavishly illustrated book will appeal to general readers and experts alike interested in the ecology and use of caves, or the extraordinary artistic responses earth’s dark recesses have evoked over the centuries.

Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science
Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science

Author: John Gunn

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-08-02

Total Pages: 1971

ISBN-13: 1135455082

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The Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science contains 350 alphabetically arranged entries. The topics include cave and karst geoscience, cave archaeology and human use of caves, art in caves, hydrology and groundwater, cave and karst history, and conservation and management. The Encyclopedia is extensively illustrated with photographs, maps, diagrams, and tables, and has thematic content lists and a comprehensive index to facilitate searching and browsing.

The Caves of Mid Argyll
The Caves of Mid Argyll

Author: Christopher Tolan-Smith

Publisher: Society Antiquaries Scotland

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 24

ISBN-13: 0903903202

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Christopher Tolan-Smith set out on a programme of fieldwork on caves and rockshelters in Mid Argyll to answer the question of why settlement on the west coast of Scotland appeared to happen later than in the islands.

Caves and Ritual in Medieval Europe, AD 500-1500
Caves and Ritual in Medieval Europe, AD 500-1500

Author: Knut Andreas Bergsvik

Publisher: Oxbow Books Limited

Published: 2018

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781785708329

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Presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the use of caves and rock shelters across Europe during the medieval period for a wide range of religious and spiritual purposes by Christian, Muslim, Pictish, and non-denominational communities, at both regional and local levels.

Stone Houses and Earth Lords
Stone Houses and Earth Lords

Author: Keith M. Prufer

Publisher: University Press of Colorado

Published: 2021-05-03

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 164642185X

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Stone Houses and Earth Lords is the first volume dedicated exclusively to the use of caves in the Maya Lowlands, covering primarily Classic Period archaeology from A.D. 100 through the Spaniards' arrival. Although the caves that riddled the lowlands show no signs of habitation, most contain evidence of human use - evidence that suggests that they functioned as ritual spaces.