Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'Pagans and Polytheism'

Viking Gate & Pagan Berserkers

August 28th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism

Over at Spiegel, Matthias Schulz reports on a “sensational” archaeological find in Northern Germany.  In 808 CE, King Gottrik of Denmark ordered the construction of the longest earthwork in Europe.  It was approximately 19 miles long and had only a single gate (the “Danevirke”), which archaeologists are now excavating.
This was a turbulent time in Europe, [...]

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Gallo-Roman Temple Complex Discovered

August 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Ritual and Religion

Over at The Guardian, Pierre Le Hir reports on the discovery of an “enormous religious site” or temple complex in the French countryside near Le Mans, which during the first through third centuries common era (C.E.) was known as Vindunum.  As viewers of HBO’s spectacular but short-lived series “Rome” and readers of Julius Caesar’s Commentarii [...]

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Archaeology of Ritual & Viking Religion

August 13th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, Classifications of Religion, Definitions of Religion, Hunter-Gatherers and Religion, Magic and Religion, Pagans and Polytheism, Ritual and Religion, Shamans and Shamanism

Archaeologists working in Europe have it good, really good.  Depending on one’s interests, you can research just about anything.  Paleoanthropologists can work on hominid evolution (i.e., Homo heidelbergensis, H. antecessor, H. neanderthalensis), while their colleagues can study a host of fascinating subjects, including the Upper Paleolithic transition, mesolithic hunter-gatherers, incipient agriculturalists, and the usual smattering [...]

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Those Mystical Henges

July 30th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, Classifications of Religion, Definitions of Religion, History of Religions, Neolithic Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Ritual and Religion

As I stated in The Supernatural and Stonehenge, it is “incredible that ninety percent of the area surrounding one of the most famous megalithic sites in the world has remained largely unexplored.  No wonder there are so many different theories and arguments about who built Stonehenge, why it was constructed, and how [...]

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The Supernatural and Stonehenge

July 25th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, Cultural Evolution of Religion, History of Religions, Neolithic Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Power and Religion, Ritual and Religion

As you can see from Texas A&M’s anthropology aggregating site (which is one of my favorite places on the net), at least a dozen stories have appeared in the past week about new archaeological finds near Stonehenge.  Using ground penetrating radar and other non-invasive technology, archaeologists have discovered another henge — which was wooden, approximately [...]

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Sumerian Spiritualism: The Earliest Organized Religion

June 27th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Archaeology and Religion, Cultural Evolution of Religion, Ecology of Religion, Economy and Religion, History of Religions, Neolithic Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Power and Religion

It was with great sadness that I read a recent article in the New York Times documenting the pillaging and destruction of Mesopotamian archaeological sites in Iraq.  Although these Sumerian, Akkadian, and Babylonian sites — and previous excavations — receive scant attention outside small groups of antiquities scholars, they are of critical importance to our [...]

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Blood Atonement — Not Just a Mormon Thing

June 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Recent and New Religions, Ritual and Religion

Yesterday the State of Utah executed Ronnie Lee Gardner using a firing squad.  Why is Utah the only state that offers prisoners the option of a firing squad, which obviously results in lots of blood?
Although I have heard some rationalizations given by Utah officials that it is “faster and more humane” than other methods (which [...]

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Flaming Jesus

June 16th, 2010 · No Comments · Daily Devolutions, Emotions and Religion, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Ritual and Religion

Strange things are afoot in Monroe, Ohio, where a massive Jesus statue was hit by lightning and went up in roaring flames.  Here is Jesus before the Zeus shot:

And here is Jesus auto de fe (a photo that brings to mind The Inquisition and the many thousands of “heretics” torched in his name):

The USA Today [...]

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Pagan Desecration and Toleration

May 29th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology and Religion, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism, Ritual and Religion

In a terse news item from Jerusalem last week, the AP reported that orthodox Jews rioted when construction crews broke ground for a new hospital building.  The cause of the rioting?  It was believed that Jews were buried there in an ancient cemetery and that the graves were being desecrated.
During the excavation, however, Israeli archaeologists [...]

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Sectarian (Biker) Violence

May 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Daily Devolutions, History of Religions, Pagans and Polytheism

It is no secret that religiously inspired violence has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths over the course of human history.  Sectarian violence is nothing new and shows few signs of abatement.  Radical jihadists have not cornered this transnational market, as was recently illustrated in Vienna, Austria, where Indian Hindus attacked a Sikh temple, [...]

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