Synopses & Reviews
In this timely collection, Neil Price provides a general introduction to the archaeology of shamanism by bringing together recent archaeological thought on the subject. Blending theoretical discussion with detailed case studies, the issues addressed include shamanic material culture, responses to dying and the dead, shamanic soundscapes, the use of ritual architecture and shamanism in the context of other belief systems such as totemism. Following an intial orientation reviewing shamanism as an anthropological construct, the volume focuses on the Northern hemisphere with case studies from Greenland to Nepal, Siberia to Kazakhstan. The papers span a chronological range from Upper Palaeolithic to the present and explore such cross-cutting themes as gender and the body, identity, landscape, architecture, as well as shamanic interpretations of rock art and shamanism in the heritage and cultural identity of indigenous peoples. The volume also addresses the interpretation of shamanic beliefs in terms of cognitive neuroscience and the modern public perception of prehistoric shamanism.
Synopsis
The term shaman has been through a process of definition and redefinition over the past 300 years or so, but until now, there has been no general introduction and overview of the subject as it stands in archaeological and anthropological terms. These fourteen essays began life as papers given at the European Association of Archaeologists held in Bournemouth in 1999, and offer a broad chronological survey of shamanism from the Palaeolithic to the present day. Individual case studies look at the different forms of evidence related to shamans and their activities, at issues of gender, social and cultural identity, landscape, art and imagery, and perceptions of animals. Archaeologists have long needed a balanced and well-researched introduction to shamanism, and at last we have it' - Richard Bradley.