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"Sacred" as a prehistoric adjective...
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PeterH
PeterH
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Re: "Sacred" as a prehistoric adjec...
Aug 08, 2005, 12:20
I almost agree with you, Nigel. Words have original meanings, but the meanings change and eventually turn into something else. "Sacred" does seem inappropriate to me as it is essentially about something being dedicated to a deity or some other religious concept. So can we be certain that when we say that such and such a site is or was "sacred" we know for certain that it was religious and dedicated in some way? As mentioned earlier, I feel that many earthworks had practical purposes rather than religious ones. Sacred versus profane is a dodgy division when looking so far back in time.

"Ritual" is even worse as that implies the observance of performed rites - can we be certain that any rites were performed? This is why F. Pryor gets up my nose so much. Everything is a ritual landscape to him. Why and what rites were practised there?

Tombs. Are they sacred? Until recently it was assumed that grave goods were left to provide the dear departed with the where withall to function in comfort in the after life. Then people started to say that perhaps it had more to do with the ostentatious diplay of wealth and status of the corpse and the funeral attendees ie the givers showing off their gifts.

If "sacred" is to be used then it cannot be rejected if we find the religion abhorrrent. If human sacrifice is made as a rite in the observance of rituals dedicated to a deity - then so be it. It is sacred. Cannibalism? If you eat the brains of your enemy to gain his strength and courage, it is practical. If you eat the brains of your father, then you may think that you are giving him immortality - so it is sacred.

When we use the word numinous, we generally mean "awe inspiring" or "spiritual" yet the word really means "indicating the presence of a deity" from the Latin word "numen" - a deity. Liminal is such a weak and wobbly word - again a Pryorism. It means "pertaining to the limen" limen is Latin for "threshhold".

Totally agree that refererences to neolithic cathedrals and churches are crap.
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Re: "Sacred" as a prehistoric adjec... (nigelswift)		 Replies:
Re: "Sacred" as a prehistoric adjec... (Paulus)
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