Ad aeternum: an archeological analysis surrounding human sacrifice in the Ancient Near East
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Abstract
My research proposes a study of a heterogeneous practice often found in the archaeological record of the Ancient Near East: human sacrifice. Sacrifice presents a departure from standard mortuary treatment and fulfills a different social and ideological role only identifiable through the archaeological record and “performed” in three different spatial contexts: underneath architectural structures (Foundation or Construction Sacrifice), and in royal/elite burials (Retainer Sacrifice).
Sacrifice is one of the most common manifestations of human religious behavior, yet archaeology has only recently begun to devote significant attention to the practice. The originality of my project raises from the study of human sacrificial practices in the ancient Near East systematically, for the first time and the concepts that surround such ritual practice. Aligned with this and based on the archaeological evidence I am also focusing on the concepts behind the bodies of the individuals involved under one basic question: Is there any difference on the treatment of the bodies between the sacrificer (with proper burials) and the human offering/victim? If so, what was the idea or perception of the body behind it? Were they dehumanized?