Neo-Shamanism: Pagan and 'neo-shamanic' interactions with archaeology

'About this book' from OUP website: Written by an international team of leading experts Structure allows quick reference to the archaeology relating to specific periods, themes, or regions Up-to-date, incorporating research results that are often literally fresh from the ground Global in coverage, enabling comparison of information from all regions of the world Each chapter is supported by a comprehensive bibliography, facilitating and encouraging further exploration The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion provides a comprehensive overview by period and region of the relevant archaeological material in relation to theory, methodology, definition, and practice. Although, as the title indicates, the focus is upon archaeological investigations of ritual and religion, by necessity ideas and evidence from other disciplines are also included, among them anthropology, ethnography, religious studies, and history. The Handbook covers a global span - Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and the Americas - and reaches from the earliest prehistory (the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic) to modern times. In addition, chapters focus upon relevant themes, ranging from landscape to death, from taboo to water, from gender to rites of passage, from ritual to fasting and feasting. Written by over sixty specialists, renowned in their respective fields, the Handbook presents the very best in current scholarship, and will serve both as a comprehensive introduction to its subject and as a stimulus to further research. Readership: Scholars and students of archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, religious studies.