Soils, stones and symbols : cultural perceptions of the mineral world

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Bibliographic Information

Soils, stones and symbols : cultural perceptions of the mineral world

edited by Nicole Boivin & Mary Ann Owoc

Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012, c2004

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Note

"First published in Great Britain 2004 by UCL Press"--T.p. verso

"... held at the European Association of Archaeologists meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2001."--Preface

Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents of Works

  • From veneration to exploitation : human engagement with the mineral world / Nicole Boivin
  • Ochre, clay, stone and art : the symbolic importance of minerals as life-force among Aboriginal peoples of Northern and Central Australia / Paul SC Taçon
  • From the earth : minerals and meaning in the Hopewellian world / Douglas K. Charles, Julieann Van Nest and Jane E Buikstra
  • Earth, wood and fire : materiality and Stonehenge / David Robinson
  • The mirror of the sun : surface, mineral applications and interface in California rock-art / David Robinson
  • A phenomenology of the buried landscape : soil as material culture in the bronze age of South-West Britain / Mary Ann Owoc
  • The cosmic earth : materiality and mineralogy in the Americas / Nicholas J. Saunders
  • An axe to grind : symbolic considerations of stone axe use in ancient Australia / Adam Brumm
  • Geoarchaeology and the goddess Laksmi : Rajasthani insights into geoarchaeological methods and prehistoric soil use / Nicole Boivin
  • Choosing stones, remembering places : geology and intention in the megalithic monuments of Western Europe / Chris Scarre
  • Reading the earth : philosophy in/of the field / Robert Frodeman
  • Epilogue : humans in a mineral world / Mary Ann Owoc

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Ethnographic and archaeological records feature a rich body of data suggesting that understandings of the mineral world are in fact both culturally variable and highly diverse. Soils, Stones and Symbols highlights studies from the fields of anthropology, archaeology and philosophy that demonstrate that not all individuals and societies view minerals as commodities to be exploited for economic gain, or as passive objects of disembodied scientific enquiry. In visiting such diverse contexts as contemporary India, colonial-period Australia and prehistoric Europe and the Americas, the papers in this volume demonstrate that in pre-industrial societies, minerals are often symbolically meaningful, ritually powerful, and deeply interwoven into not just economic and material, but also social, cosmological, mythical, spiritual and philosophical aspects of life. In addressing the theme of the mineral world, this book is not only unique within the social and geo-sciences, but also at the forefront of recent attempts to demonstrate the importance of materiality to processes of human cognition and sociality. It draws upon theoretical developments relating to meaning, experience, the body, and material culture to demonstrate that studies of rock art, landscapes, architecture, technology and resource use are all linked through the minerals that constantly surround us and are the focus of our never-ending attempts to understand and transform them.

Table of Contents

  • Chapter 1 From Veneration to Exploitation, Nicole Boivin
  • Chapter 2 Ochre, Clay, Stone and Art, Paul SC Tacon
  • Chapter 3 From the Earth, Douglas K Charles, Julieann Van Nest, Jane E Buikstra
  • Chapter 4 Earth, Wood and Fire, Mike Parker Pearson
  • Chapter 5 The Mirror of the Sun, David Robinson
  • Chapter 6 A Phenomenology of the Buried Landscape, Mary Ann Owoc
  • Chapter 7 The Cosmic Earth, Nicholas J Saunders
  • Chapter 8 An Axe to Grind, Adam Brumm
  • Chapter 9 Geoarchaeology and the Goddess Laksmi, Nicole Boivin
  • Chapter 10 Choosing Stones, Remembering Places, Chris Scarre
  • Chapter 11 Reading the Earth, Robert Frodeman
  • Chapter 12 Epilogue, Mary Ann Owoc

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