Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Preface
- 1 The Vitalities of Çatalhöyük
- Part I Vital Religion: The Evolutionary Context of Religion at Çatalhöyük
- Part II Vital Materials at Çatalhöyük
- Part III Vital Data
- Postscript: On Devotion at Çatalhöyük
- Index
- References
Postscript: On Devotion at Çatalhöyük
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2014
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Preface
- 1 The Vitalities of Çatalhöyük
- Part I Vital Religion: The Evolutionary Context of Religion at Çatalhöyük
- Part II Vital Materials at Çatalhöyük
- Part III Vital Data
- Postscript: On Devotion at Çatalhöyük
- Index
- References
Summary
I am convinced that devotion is certainly at work at Çatalhöyük and may help us answer questions about the process of recognizing a religious significance in the material culture of the site.
I would rather use the term “devotion” than “religion” for reasons I cannot get into here. Having said that, I have to confess that I would be foolish to try to define devotion. Devotion, as many scholars point out, is easier recognized than defined. If you were to ask me for a brief description of devotion, however, I would say that it involves living out a powerful imagination with surprising destructive tendencies that if disciplined can also be incredibly life-giving and creative.
Being a totally naїve observer of archaeological method has paradoxically made me a good candidate to detect devotion at Çatalhöyük. Being naїve has advantages. In fact, I was immediately struck by the devotion displayed by the architectural team. Those of you who work here are a great example of what devotion is all about. What are its symptoms? Let me make a few observations.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Religion at Work in a Neolithic SocietyVital Matters, pp. 357 - 364Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014