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The Cult of the Dead, Fetishism, and the Genesis of an Idea: Megalithic Monuments and the Tree and Pillar Cult of Arthur J. Evans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Deborah Harlan
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Abstract

Arthur Evans is most noted for his work in Crete, particularly the excavation of the Palace of Knossos, which he began in the year 1900. As a consequence, Arthur Evans' earlier archaeology is often overlooked. This paper focuses on a series of lectures, largely unpublished, on the development of megalithic monuments and the religious cult they embodied, delivered by Evans in 1885. Evans' ideas of cult were embedded in contemporary late nineteenth century anthropological concepts set within an evolutionary context. This paper shows that these underlying ideas were also evident in Evans' later writings on the Aegean: notably, the famous article on the Tree and Pillar Cult that formed the basis of his concept of Minoan religion. By contextualizing Evans' early work, we gain a fuller understanding of why he prioritized certain information in constructing his concept of a Minoan civilization.

C'est pour son travail en Crète, et notamment les fouilles du palais de Cnossos qu'il entame en 1900, qu'Arthur Evans est célèbre. Ses travaux archéologiques antérieurs sont souvent laissés dans l'oubli. Cet article se penche sur une série des conférences, pour la plus part inédites, qu'a livrée Evans en 1855 sur le développement des monuments mégalithiques et du culte qu'ils représentent. L'approche de Evans au culte mégalithique découlaient du contexte évolutionniste anthropologique de la fin du XIXe siècle. Nous montrons ici que ces concepts sous-jacents sont aussi perceptibles dans les écrits plus tardifs de Evans sur le monde égéen, et en particulier dans son travail sur le culte de l'arbre et du pilier qui est à la base de sa conception de la religion minoenne. En contextualisant ses premiers travaux, nous pouvons mieux comprendre comment Evans privilégia certaines sources pour élaborer sa conception de la civilisation minoenne. Translation by Nathan Schlanger.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Arthur Evans ist durch seine Tätigkeit auf Kreta, besonders die Ausgrabungen des Palastes von Knossos bekannt, die im Jahr 1900 begonnen wurden. Aus diesem Grund sind Arthur Evans frühere Beiträge zur Archäologie häufig übersehen worden. Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit einer überwiegend unveröffentlichten Vorlesungsreihe, die Evans im Jahr 1885 hielt, die sich mit der Entwicklung der Megalithbauten und dem religiösen Kult, den diese verkörperten auseinandersetzte. Evans kultische Vorstellungen waren in kontemporären anthropologischen Konzepten eines evolutionären Kontexts des späten 19. Jahrhunderts verankert. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeichnet auf, dass diese grundlegenden Ideen auch in Evans späteren Schriften über die Ägäis eine Rolle spielten, besonders in dem berühmten Aufsatz über den Baum-und- Säulenkult, der als Grundlage für sein Konzept der minoischen Religion diente. Durch die Kontextualisierung von Evans Frühwerk gelangen wir zu einem besseren Verständnis, wieso er gewisse Informationen in den Vordergrund stellte, um sein Konzept der minoischen Religion zu entwickeln. Translation by Tina Jakob.

Keywords

Arthur Evansmegalithic monumentscult of the deadtree and pillar cultMinoan religionArthur Evansmonuments mégalithiquesculte des mortsculte de l'arbre et du pilierreligion minoenneArthur EvansMegalithbautenTotenkultBaum-und Säulenkultminoische Religion
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 14 , Issue 1-2 , 2011 , pp. 210 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 Maney Publishing 

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