Blanka Misic

@drblankam.bsky.social

Senior Research Fellow @viennacogscihub.bsky.social Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow @univie.ac.at Researching Roman religion through cognitive science of religion approaches. New book on Roman rituals from @cambridgeup.bsky.social - https://bit.ly/44orx2D

This collection of studies explores the experience of rituals in the ancient Roman world through the lens of cognitive and sensory sciences. The authors examine how cognitive and sensory processes shaped the perception, memory, and meaning of religious ceremonies.

These works combine historical, archaeological, and iconographic evidence with theories from psychology, anthropology, and neurobiology, offering new interpretations of both pagan and Christian ritual practices.

The 5th chapter analyses the 4th c. pilgrimage of Egeria to Jerusalem, focusing on her account of the Good Friday ceremony and the interaction of pilgrims with relics such as the wood of the True Cross, the inscription, Solomon’s ring, and the horn used for anointing the kings of Israel.

The 4th chapter by A. Graham analyse the Salutarius procession in Ephesus, described in foundation inscriptions, as both a ritual event and a cognitive experience. They explore various aspects of the ritual, from organisational details and the route of the procession to the roles of participants.

The 3rd chapter by Vicky Jewell analyses the significance of colours in Greco-Roman sacred spaces, focusing on their perception by ancient viewers within the framework of cognitive theories and philosophy.

The 2nd chapter by Emma-Jayne Graham examines the haptic production of religious knowledge among the Vestal Virgins in Roman religion, using the Ara Pacis frieze to argue that the material objects carried by the Vestals actively shaped their ritual experiences and understanding.

The 1st chapter by @drblankam.bsky.social analyses the processes of learning and transmitting religious and ritual knowledge in ancient religions, proposing a new theoretical model based on the cognitive science of religion, called the Religious Learning Network (RLN) Model.

It took me a while, but finally I had the time to go through the volume "Senses, Cognition, and Ritual Experience in the Roman World" edited by @drblankam.bsky.social and Abigail Graham. It's a must-read for anyone interested in archaeology/history of senses, especially in antiquity.

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Everyone, buy this book written by @drblankam.bsky.social and @abigailgraham.bsky.social See my positive review: Mark_Beumer_Review_Blanka_Misic_and_Abigail_Graham_eds_Senses_Cognition_and_Ritual_Experience_in_the_Roman_World_Cambridge_University_Press_2024_in_Kleio_Historia_nr_19_2024_

Senses, Cognition, and Ritual Experience in the Roman World

Cambridge Core - Church History - Senses, Cognition, and Ritual Experience in the Roman World

cambridge.org