The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic

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The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic
ISBN
0-7134-4870-9

The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic is an

B.T. Batsford
in 1987.

Merrifield opens The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic by discussing how archaeologists have understood magic and ritual practices in past societies, opining that on the whole it had been a neglected area of study. Looking at the archaeological evidence for ritual activity in the

magico-religious
purposes, he then looks at several examples of written charms and spells which have survived in the archaeological record.

Upon publication, The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic received predominantly positive reviews in academic peer-reviewed journals such as Folklore and The Antiquaries Journal. In the ensuing years, the book has been widely cited by scholars as an influential and pioneering text in the study of the archaeology of ritual and magic.

Background

Second World War, he returned to working at Brighton Museum, but in 1950 was appointed Assistant Keeper of the Guildhall Museum in the City of London. Over a six-month period in 1956 and 1957, he was stationed in Accra, Ghana, where he worked at the National Museum of Ghana, organising the collection in preparation for the country's independence from the British Empire in March 1957. Returning to the Guildhall Museum, Merrifield compiled the first detailed study of Roman London for 35 years, which was published as The Roman City of London (1965). Following the creation of the Museum of London in 1975, he became its deputy director, a post which he held until his retirement in 1978.[1]

In the preface of The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic, Merrifield noted that the book's bias was to the archaeology of London, and that this was particularly evident in its use of illustrations.[2] He dedicated the book to the memory of H.S. Toms, the former Curator of Brighton Museum and a one-time assistant to the archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers; in his dedication, Merrifield noted that Toms had been his "first mentor in archaeology and folk studies".[3]

Synopsis

"Ritual and magic were formerly part of everyday life, but by association with

occultism
they have now acquired an aura of sensationalism that has discouraged investigation. In spite of the great interest of this aspect of human behaviour, no synthesis has hitherto been made of the considerable information that is available from archaeological and historical sources, except within a few very restricted fields. A broad survey of the ritual customs of Europe is attempted here."

Ralph Merrifield, 1987.[4]

In his preface, Merrifield noted that while archaeologists studying prehistoric periods have paid increasing attention to the evidence for ritual and magic in the archaeological record, their counterparts working in later historical periods have failed to follow their lead. Presenting this book as a rectifier, he outlines his intentions and the study's limitations.[5]

Chapter one, "Ritual and the archaeologist", begins by describing the ritual deposits from the pre-Roman Iron Age sites of

stone circles. He specifies particular definitions for words such as "ritual", "religion" and "superstition", arguing that such terms must be used with precision by archaeologists. Offering a case study, he describes how Neolithic stone axes were adopted as amulets or talismans in the later Roman Iron Age onward in Britain, and that as such archaeologists should expect to find them in non-prehistoric contexts.[6]

A photo of large stones arranged in a circle at Swinside, England
Merrifield noted that archaeologists studying Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe regularly recognised the ritual significance of monuments, such as this stone circle at Swinside, England, but that those studying later periods of history often neglected to consider ritual explanations.

In the second chapter, "Offerings to earth and water in Pre-Roman and Roman Times", Merrifield explores the various forms of archaeological evidence for

relics, which was in contrast to the pagan beliefs of the Roman Empire, which portrayed the deceased as unclean.[8]

The fourth chapter, "From Paganism to Christianity", explores the continuing practice of ritual in Christian Europe. Discussing the early Roman Catholic Church's demonisation of pagan deities, Merrifield states that the Church continued propagating a form of polytheism through the "cult of the blessed dead", the veneration of saints and martyrs, throughout the Middle Ages. Discussing the ritual use of Christian relics, he also looks at votive offerings that were presented in a Christian context at shrines and churches, paying particular reference to the tradition of offering bent coins to shrines in Late Medieval England. Examining the construction of churches on earlier pagan ritual sites, he deals with evidence for the destruction of pagan statues by the early Christians.[9]

A sator square etched in stone
An example of the Sator Square, a magical practice widely found throughout Europe from ancient times to the present day; this example is from Oppède in France.

Chapter five, "Survivals, revivals and reinterpretations", continues Merrifield's exploration of ritual practices in Christian Europe. He examines Late- and Post-Medieval items that have been deposited in rivers, including swords and pilgrimage souvenirs, speculating that their deposition might represent a survival from the pagan tradition of casting votive offerings into water. He speculates that the contemporary practice of throwing a coin into a fountain for good luck is a further survival of the custom. He then discusses the evidence for ritual foundation deposits under buildings, noting the widespread Medieval deposition of an animal's head or jaw in a construction's foundations, presumably for protective magical purposes. Proceeding to deal with the Late- and Post-Medieval deposition of pots under foundations, he looks at their place in churches, where it was believed that they aided the acoustics. Continuing with this theme, he discusses the British folk custom of burying a horse's head under the floor to improve a building's acoustics, speculating as to whether this was a survival of the pagan foundation deposit custom. Rounding off the chapter, Merrifield examines magical items that have been intentionally placed in the walls, chimneys and roofs of buildings in Britain, in particular the widespread use of dead cats and old shoes.[10]

In the sixth chapter, "Written spells and charms", Merrifield discusses the use of the written word in magical contexts. Highlighting archaeological examples from the ancient

witches' familiars. Proceeding to focus on 19th- and 20th-century examples, Merrifield discusses the case of James Murrell, an English cunning man, and his involvement with the witch bottle tradition.[12] Merrifield's final chapter, "The ritual of superstition: recognition and potential for study", provides an overview of the entire book, highlighting the evidence of ritual continuity from pre-Christian periods to the present day. Pointing out what he sees as areas of further exploration for archaeologists, he calls for a "systematic investigation" of the subject.[13]

Reception and recognition

Academic reviews

The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic was reviewed by John Hutchings for the Folklore journal, the published arm of

Home Counties, but described the book as "lucidly written, carefully argued, and well illustrated."[14]

In a short review for The Antiquaries Journal, the historian of religion Hilda Ellis Davidson praised the "cautious and balanced arguments" of Merrifield's work. She opined that it should be read by every archaeologist as a corrective to what she thought was their widespread ignorance of folklore, noting that the wide array of evidence for ritual behaviour in the archaeological record would surprise "many readers".[15]

Wider recognition

Writing Merrifield's obituary for

academic paper entitled "The archaeology of counter-witchcraft and popular magic". Being published in the Beyond the Witch Trials anthology, edited by the historians Owen Davies and Willem de Blécourt, Hoggard recounted that The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic was the "notable exception" to a trend in which archaeological studies of magic were restricted to small journals, magazines and newspaper articles.[16]

The influential nature of Merrifield's work was also recognised by the medieval archaeologist Roberta Gilchrist of the University of Reading. In an academic paper published in a 2008 edition of the Medieval Archaeology journal, Gilchrist referenced Merrifield's study, noting that it offered a "rare contribution" to the archaeology of ritual and magic in Britain. In particular she highlighted his belief that many archaeologists dealing with literate cultures exhibited a "ritual phobia" as accurate.[17]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Marsden 1995.
  2. ^ Merrifield 1987. p. vii.
  3. ^ Merrifield 1987. un-numbered page.
  4. ^ Merrifield 1987. p. xiii.
  5. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. xiii–xiv.
  6. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 1–21.
  7. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 22–58.
  8. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 59–82.
  9. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 83–106.
  10. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 107–136.
  11. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 137–158.
  12. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 159–184.
  13. ^ Merrifield 1987. pp. 185–195.
  14. ^ Hutchings 1989.
  15. ^ Ellis Davidson 1988.
  16. ^ Hoggard 2004. pp. 167–186.
  17. ^ Gilchrist 2008. p. 119.

Bibliography