CALL. 15.03.2019: [PANEL 9] Traveling and Cult Practices in the Ancient Mediterranean (SCS 2020) - W
FECHA LÍMITE/DEADLINE/SCADENZA: 15/03/2019
FECHA CONGRESO/CONGRESS DATE/DATA CONGRESSO: 02-03-04-05/01/2020
LUGAR/LOCATION/LUOGO: Marriot Marquis Washington, DC (Washington, DC, USA)
ORGANIZADOR/ORGANIZER/ORGANIZZATORE: Erica Angliker
INFO: web - erica.angliker@sas.ac.uk
CALL:
In Antiquity, the fantastic interplay of sea, land, large islands, small archipelagos and coastal areas in the Mediterranean fostered complex interactions and gave rise to a rich variety of religious space, from easily accessible coastal sites to more secluded rural sanctuaries. Such interrelated cultic places served as cultural terrains for communication and interaction on a regional and supra-regional level. Central to some of them was the undertaking and completion of a journey. The aim of this colloquium is to trace evidence (archaeological, literary or epigraphical) of travel to cultic sites in the Mediterranean. Relevant questions include: who travelled to such religious places, and what kind of evidence (e.g. archaeological, textual, epigraphical) supports our conclusions? Is there evidence of intentional and incidental movement to sanctuaries? Is there evidence attesting to worshippers’ preparations for such trips? Where were these cult sites located: en route to a specific destination or off the beaten track? Were cult sites established in hard-to-reach locations (i.e. ones that entailed a pilgrimage)? Did they develop in places with notable natural features (springs, volcanic phenomena, mountain tops, lakes, rivers, islands, etc.)? Did worshippers obtain any kind of object that they brought home with them from the trip? What practices were conducted at the site, and how did these relate to the journey and to the arrival of worshippers? Did they reflect the natural qualities of the site?
Topics may focus on any geographic area of the Mediterranean and any period from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity.