Saint George is the sacred figure that has forged Beirut's historical face since the 14th century. However, Beirut was not always devoted to this saint: during the upper Middle Ages, it was the Saviour who was central to the votive logics of the city, while the military saints were confined to the edges of the urban territory. This article aims at explaining the circumstances that justified the introduction of a military saint into the heart of the city, while measuring his symbolic and material impact on the representations of the Christian and Muslim populations during the changes of Beirut's urban structure. ; Saint Georges est la figure sacrée qui a contribué à façonner le visage historique de Beyrouth depuis le XIVe siècle. La ville n'a cependant pas toujours été consacrée à ce saint. Au haut Moyen âge, une autre logique votive s'exprimait sur le territoire beyrouthin, centrée sur la figure du Sauveur, les saints militaires et leurs sites étant confinés à la lisière du territoire urbain. Cette contribution vise à réfléchir sur les circonstances qui auraient entraîné l'entrée en ville d'un saint militaire. Elle cherche à établir l'impact de ce dernier tant au plan symbolique que concret sur les représentations de la population chrétienne et musulmane et sur la recomposition de la fabrique urbaine qui en a découlé
La devozione verso i santi militari, ampiamente diffusa nell'impero bizantino, era spesso unita a specifiche pratiche cultuali connesse alla produzione di speciali ex-voto. Uno di questi è una placchetta votiva dedicata a san Giorgio e conservata presso il Museo Archeologico dello Studium Biblicum Franciscanum di Gerusalemme. Muovendo dallo studio dei dati d'archivio, è stato possibile ricostruire le dinamiche di acquisto del manufatto e il suo inserimento nelle collezioni del museo, mentre un'accurata analisi epigrafica ha evidenziato gli interessanti esiti linguistici e fonetici accorsi. L'indagine iconografica e delle fonti letterarie ha quindi permesso di individuare gli schemi e i modelli figurativi a cui l'artigiano ha attinto per la resa grafica di san Giorgio. La contestualizzazione delle forme di venerazione del santo, nelle province di Palaestina e Arabia, ha infine permesso di chiarire la diffusione e il possibile utilizzo di questa particolare categoria di oggetti votivi offerti in adempimento di un voto o come segno di gratitudine.
A man lives in natural environment and considers it the primordial of his being on the Earth. But depending on the nature causes terrible feeling. It is the state that is caused by sacral things.Sacral things have ambiguous meaning in philosophical literature; it is different from "religious", "dark", "spiritual". Such terms can be synonyms and they have to be differentiated. Indistinct content of term "sacral" enables to use it for any natural landscapes, manmade constructions.Man's existence itself is soaked with sacral value as archaic person schematize the Universe, his behavior attitude to nature. It oversteps religion which is a certain systematizer as well.It is impossible to go beyond sacral for it covers everything.To be revealed in nature a religious person has to be soaked with sacral. At the same time the man with sacral feelings transposes his attitude to the places determined individually as unusual.Religion applies term sacral to its myths. But it forgets that religion can disappear , but not a sacral thing.Religion uses such terms, which are those among sacral features.People settle spontaneously based on natural-biological needs and colonization principle does not rely on religious views, on the contrary, a man gives the places regarded as outstanding ones supernatural features.A man chose places for settling with favourable conditions and imparted unusual traits for them. Worship sites were divided into sacral ones and those bearing political-ideological role.At the same time sacral symbol has got exoteric and esoteric sense; it covers and uncovers spiritual aspect. But what cover-up do they mean when God himself has changed into simulator during post-modern times?Contradistinction process of "spiritual", "heavenly", "secular" has originated from monotheistic religions that have resulted in secularization and desacralization afterwards.When studying natural worship places you need to consider more ethically terms "sacral", "spiritual", "religious". ; У статті розглядається сакральне ставлення до природи, яке притаманне всім без винятку народам. Проведено диференціацію понять "релігійне", "священне", "святе", "сакральне". Акцентується увага на тому, що до об'єктів поклоніння природного походження більш коректно вживати поняття "сакральний", яке охоплює всю повноту буття.
The authors believe that the clay zoomorphic plastic figurines from the Early Iron Age settlements of the forest zone (the areas of the Yukhnovskaya, Milogradskaya, Verkhneokskaya and Dyakovskaya cultures) are not votive elements of agrarian cults but children's toys. These toys as well as miniature vessels, ceramic models of things, clay loaves could be made by children themselves while learning the process of ceramic production. The use of images of wild animals especially predators and toads in agrarian rituals is doubtful. The dominance of horse images in the Milograd-Yukhnovo area seems to be an Indo-European trait associated with mythology and not with farming. In the area of the Dyakovskaya culture with developed horse breeding, attributed to the Finno-Ugric antiquities, there are clay figurines of animals except horses. Profane toys can carry sacred images since myth and fairy tale are closely connected with each other and a toy for a child has many faces and can situationally play the role of a mythical character, a fairy-tale hero, a usual domestic animal. Some figurines become votive objects at the final stage of existence. Toys were sacrificed during initiation into adulthood as in ancient Greece and Rome. Fragments of figurines in ashtrays formed during the annual ritual and sanitary burning of winter straw bedding from houses and stables are often taken as sacrifices. Household garbage trapped in a "cleansing" bonfire is not a meaningful sacrifice.
The article is about two ritual deposits of the 2nd—1st centuries BC from the Lower Don region. The first votive hoard was found in 2018 in the inter-mound space of Turbuta III burial ground and transferred to the NovocherkasskMuseum of the History of Don Cossacks. The complex consisted of a crumpled bronze situla and helmet, a set of silver phalerae and a frontlet, as well as six sets of bits and cheekpieces. In 2016, information about another ritual deposit from illegal excavations in the Rostov region got on the Internet. Both complexes are very similar in composition, the nature of ritual damage, and the way things are placed. Phalerae and the frontlet from Turbuta III find close analogies in the well-known Starobelsk hoard. Obviously, in the Lower Don region, the same pattern can be traced as in the Northern Black Sea region — the connection of sets of phalerae with votive hoards. The helmets from both hoards are later versions of the Celtic helmets with a reinforced crown. It is difficult to determine unambiguously whether these helmets were made by Celtic armourer, or in a workshop of one of the Hellenistic kingdoms according to Celtic patterns. Situlae are believed to have been part of Roman military equipment. Probably, objects from both ritual deposits reflect participation of the Sarmatians in the Mithridatic wars, recorded in written sources.
This article explores the miracles and ex-votos (votive offerings) associated with the Ta' Pinu shrine on Gozo, Malta's northernmost island. Drawing from ethnographic data, analysis of various personal accounts, and observations of people's interactions with the bricolage of Ta' Pinu ex-votos, I seek to show that Gozitans perform a highly personal yet ritualised form of empathy in the context of miracle worship. The miracles associated with Ta' Pinu are thus seemingly 'contagious' and meaningful, because they elicit existential connections and reflections on the nature of supplication and Gozitan social relations.
"203 Palmyrene-Aramaic votive inscriptions from the period between the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE contain three intriguing designations of the gods: "Blessed (be) his name forever", "Master of the Universe" and "the Merciful". Previous studies have claimed that the god to whom these inscriptions are addressed is anonymous. Not satisfied with this explanation, Des dédicaces sans théonyme de Palmyre: Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité addresses the phenomenon through the lens of thanksgiving and praise, revealing the existence of a contemporary ritual hymn, the origin of the Palmyrene formula "Blessed his name forever". Who, then, were these gods, the recipients of the dedications? Can we find a match between the formulae and a proper name? This book provides answers to these fascinating questions. Les 203 dédicaces votives en araméen de Palmyre de la période entre IIe et IIIe siècle de n.è. intriguent par 3 dénominations divines : " Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité ", " Maître de l'Univers " et " le Miséricordieux ". Des études précédentes ont postulé univoquement l'anonymat divin. En étant déçu par cette explication du phénomène des inscriptions palmyréniennes, le livre Des dédicaces sans théonyme de Palmyre : Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité a pris pour le point de départ les concepts de remerciement et de louange, en découvrant l'existence d'un hymne rituel comme origine de la formule " Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité ". Qui sont donc des dieux, des récepteurs des dédicaces de Palmyre ? Peut-on combiner un nom propre d'un dieu avec ces trois formules ? Ce livre répond à ces questions flagrantes"--
Les 203 dédicaces votives en araméen de Palmyre de la période entre IIe et IIIe siècle de n.è. intriguent par 3 dénominations divines : « Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité », « Maître de l'Univers » et « le Miséricordieux ». Des études précédentes ont postulé univoquement l'anonymat divin. En étant déçu par cette explication du phénomène des inscriptions palmyréniennes, le livre Des dédicaces sans théonyme de Palmyre : Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité a pris pour le point de départ les concepts de remerciement et de louange, en découvrant l'existence d'un hymne rituel comme origine de la formule « Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité ». Qui sont donc des dieux, des récepteurs des dédicaces de Palmyre ? Peut-on combiner un nom propre d'un dieu avec ces trois formules ? Ce livre répond à ces questions flagrantes. 203 Palmyrene-Aramaic votive inscriptions from the period between the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE contain three intriguing designations of the gods: "Blessed (be) his name forever", "Master of the Universe" and "the Merciful". Previous studies have claimed that the god to whom these inscriptions are addressed is anonymous. Not satisfied with this explanation, Des dédicaces sans théonyme de Palmyre: Béni (soit) son nom pour l'éternité addresses the phenomenon through the lens of thanksgiving and praise, revealing the existence of a contemporary ritual hymn, the origin of the Palmyrene formula "Blessed his name forever". Who, then, were these gods, the recipients of the dedications? Can we find a match between the formulae and a proper name? This book provides answers to these fascinating questions
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Abstract: In Iran, the giving of food for a religious purpose is a widespread act among Shiite believers, which can be observed daily in the city and in the villages, in both affluent and popular milieus. In order to understand the social, material and spiritual virtues of such food in the everyday life and worldview of Shiite devotees, this article proposes to analyse the process of preparation and sacredness of such food, and to study some important occasions of votive food giving in the lives of believers. The information in this article comes from previous research carried out in Iranian popular milieus, in some Shiite shrines and at the Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran, as well as from interviews conducted for this specific purpose.Résumé : En Iran, le don de nourriture pour une intention religieuse est un acte très répandu chez les croyants chiites, que l'on peut observer quotidiennement en ville comme à la campagne, dans les milieux aisés comme dans les milieux populaires. Pour comprendre les vertus sociales, matérielles et spirituelles d'une telle nourriture dans la vie pratique et la vision du monde des pieux chiites, cet article propose d'analyser le processus de préparation et de sacralisation de cette nourriture, et d'étudier quelques occasions importantes de don de nourriture votive dans la vie des croyants. Les données de cet article proviennent de recherches précédemment effectuées dans les milieux populaires iraniens, dans quelques sanctuaires chiites et au cimetière de Behesht Zahra de Téhéran, ainsi que d'entretiens réalisés à cette fin précise.
The conservation of works of art exhibited inside museums is influenced considerably by the indoor microclimatic conditions. Temperature and air moisture content variations and lighting play an important role in the deterioration of works of art, both artefact of historical-artistic value and demoethnoanthropological goods. Small museums around the country are a source of pride for local people. They preserve and guarantee the transmission to future generations of important works of art or goods of cultural interest. In these contexts is not sustainable an environmental monitoring like that carried out in major museums, both for the high cost of equipment and management and for the lower influx of visitors. The aim of this work has been to verify the conservation conditions of a remarkable collection of votive wood paintings housed in the Museum of the Basilica of the Madonna della Quercia (Viterbo, Italy), using simple instruments and tools. Microclimatic environment characterization has been conducted from December 2008 to September 2009, surveying temperature and relative humidity. Lux and radiation measures have been performed. Moreover punctual microclimatic surveys of surface temperature of a wooden votive tablet, as well as measurements of environment temperature, relative humidity and dew point have been carried out. The results have been interpreted with reference to museum standards regarding the conservation of works of art, in order to verify compliance of the measured values with the optimal values of the parameters established by the legislation proposed by the Italian Ministry of Culture n. 238, 19-10-2001.
Starting from Giddens's concept of mutual knowledge, in this article I argue for an expanded definition of storage as a situated practice through which groups construct identity, remember, and control knowledge as part of a moral economy. Drawing on ethnographic and archaeological examples from a range of societies, including those of the Trobriand Islands, Neolithic Europe, and Mesoamerica, I consider the spatial and social meaning of utilitarian, household storage. Many of the social meanings embodied in utilitarian storage are found to also inform other kinds of storage, especially those categorized as burials and votive offerings, or caches, [storage, mutual knowledge, social memory, inalienable wealth, Mesoamerica]
A homogeneous cultural history for the Venezuelan Andes had been postulated using unilateral approaches and neglecting environmental variations within the region. Our archaeological and ethnohistorical data allow us to establish the tierra fría Mucuchíes phase of the Andean pattern. Typical features are the cultivation of cold climate tubers, stone constructions, simple pottery, and burials associated with votive material. This contrasts with the features of the Sub‐Andean pattern established for the tierra templada. The Mucuchíes phase's resemblance to the Chibcha and Tairona material from Colombia reflects in a simplified form the way of life of the protohistoric people of the Andes as a whole.
Il presente elaborato nasce dall'intenzione di affrontare lo studio del culto di Apollo nella regione della Beozia, considerato principalmente sulla base delle testimonianze epigrafiche. È stato dunque composto un catalogo dei testi votivi del dio, esaminati singolarmente ognuno in una scheda analitica comprendente anche un commento dei principali aspetti dell'iscrizione, non solo testuali e paleografici, ma anche prosopografici, storici, onomastici e letterari. La scelta di indagare la sfera dei materiali votivi nasce dall'estremo interesse che tale categoria suscita, più in generale l'ambito delle pratiche cultuali, di cui gli ex-voto sono espressione tangibile. La ricerca si organizza in cinque capitoli ed un catalogo fotografico e grafico finale. Nei primi due capitoli si snoda la disamina delle fonti letterarie ed archeologiche in nostro possesso, inerenti le poleis in cui si attesta il culto del dio Apollo. Le sezioni centrali, terza e quarta, contengono la prima una riflessione sul koinon beotico e la sua storia evolutiva, inserito nella ricerca non solo poiché fu committente di alcune dediche ad Apollo, ma anche per soddisfare l'esigenza di definire il rapporto tra la sfera politica e quella sacra e i tentativi di manipolazione della prima sulla seconda; il quarto capitolo è quello più statistico ed è incentrato sullo studio dei supporti, le loro caratteristiche fisiche e quelle dei formulari votivi. La sezione finale si compone delle schede epigrafiche. L' intreccio di tutte queste informazioni ha consentito, come risultato finale, quello di stabilire non solo i flussi di frequentazione dei santuari beotici, regionali ed extraregionali, ma anche di ricostruire gli equilibri politici tra le varie poleis della Beozia. L'esame tipologico dei votivi e quello formulare dei testi hanno permesso, infine, di comprendere l'apparato rituale dei singoli contesti religiosi e di desumere dettagli circa il culto del dio Apollo e le pratiche cerimoniali ad esso associate. ; This paper is focused on the study of Apollo in the region of Boeotia, mainly considered on the basis of epigraphic evidences. A catalog of the votive texts of the god was therefore composed, each examined individually in an analytical card including a comment on the main aspects of the inscription, not only textual and palaeographic, but also prosopographic, historical, onomastic and literary. The choice to investigate the sphere of votive materials occurs from the extreme curiosity this category produces, more generally the sphere of cultic practices, of which the ex-voto are a tangible expression. The research is arranged in five chapters and a final photographic and graphic catalog. The first two includes an inspection of the literary and archaeological aspect relating to the poleis in which the cult of Apollo is attested. The central sections, third and fourth, contains the first a reflection on the boeotic koinon and its history, included here not only because it was the holder of some dedications to Apollo, but also to define the relationship between the political sphere and the sacred one and all the attempts of manipulation of the one over the other; the fourth chapter is, above all, statistical and focuses on the study of the supports, their physical characteristics and those of the votive forms. The final section consists of epigraphic cards. The intersection of all this information allows, as a final result, to establish not only the regional and extra-regional flows of attendance at the Boeotic sanctuaries, but also to reconstruct the political stability between the poleis. Finally, the typological examination of the votives and the forms of the texts enable us to understand the ritual apparatus of the religious contexts and to infer details about the cult of the Apollo and the ceremonial practices associated with it.
International audience ; Religion, and we speak here of religious practices, are not solely individuals engaged in the private sphere, but a social tracery, making the Muslim landscape in Egypt particularly complex. If we distinguish an "official" Islam from an islamist militant Islam, the popular practices of Islam seems suddenly to detach themselves from the classic fields of politics, and to invest everyday life as well as exceptional moments. Today, the Egyptian society as a whole can be said deeply pious (but accommodating), predominantly Sunni (90% of the population), Sufi, and with a devotional practice of pilgrimages and of the cult of saints. ; La religion, et l'on parlera ici des pratiques religieuses, ne sont pas du seul ressort d'individus pratiquant dans la sphère privée, mais d'un entrelacs social rendant particulièrement complexe le paysage religieux musulman en Égypte. Si l'on distingue un islam " officiel " et un islam militant islamiste, la pratique populaire musulmane semble du coup se détacher des champs classiques du politique et investir la vie quotidienne comme la vie des moments d'exception. Aujourd'hui, nous avons une société égyptienne profondément pieuse, majoritairement sunnite (90% de la population), soufie, pratiquant avec dévotion les pèlerinages et le culte des saints.
International audience ; Religion, and we speak here of religious practices, are not solely individuals engaged in the private sphere, but a social tracery, making the Muslim landscape in Egypt particularly complex. If we distinguish an "official" Islam from an islamist militant Islam, the popular practices of Islam seems suddenly to detach themselves from the classic fields of politics, and to invest everyday life as well as exceptional moments. Today, the Egyptian society as a whole can be said deeply pious (but accommodating), predominantly Sunni (90% of the population), Sufi, and with a devotional practice of pilgrimages and of the cult of saints. ; La religion, et l'on parlera ici des pratiques religieuses, ne sont pas du seul ressort d'individus pratiquant dans la sphère privée, mais d'un entrelacs social rendant particulièrement complexe le paysage religieux musulman en Égypte. Si l'on distingue un islam " officiel " et un islam militant islamiste, la pratique populaire musulmane semble du coup se détacher des champs classiques du politique et investir la vie quotidienne comme la vie des moments d'exception. Aujourd'hui, nous avons une société égyptienne profondément pieuse, majoritairement sunnite (90% de la population), soufie, pratiquant avec dévotion les pèlerinages et le culte des saints.
