Cognitive archaeology, or what were they thinking? 2800-DWKOG-OG

The course will present the main contemporary theories and approaches that allow archaeologists to attempt to reconstruct, interpret and understand the ways in which representatives of ancient cultures thought. We will mainly analyze the materials of illiterate cultures, but this will not be the rule (ethnographic analogies and the results of excavations on historical sites will also be of some help).

We will try to answer questions such as: How can we explore the worldview of people who have not left behind any written documents? What did they think about the universe, nature, about the place occupied by man, supernatural beings, plants and animals, as well as elements of the landscape? How can we reconstruct ancient religious beliefs and practices? What are the results we can expect from this type of research using different approaches? Were ancient cultures more religious than we are? What was the status and social role of the representatives of various groups (distinguished on the basis of gender, age, their physical and psychic condition, family ties, ethnicity)? What function did iconography, music and dance play in these cultures? cancan we say something about the feelings of our ancestors? What made them laugh, what frightened them, what surprised them? In short: what were they thinking?