kim373•22d agoProlific Poster

People keep calling everything a 'ritual object' and it drives me nuts

I was at a talk about a dig in Turkey last month and the presenter kept saying 'ritual object' for every weird little clay thing they found. It's like, if we don't know what it is, we just slap that label on it and call it a day. I saw this a lot in grad school too. It matters because it stops us from asking real questions. Was it a toy? A tool part? A weight? My old professor, Dr. Evans, always said, 'When you call it ritual, you stop thinking.' I've started forcing myself to list three possible practical uses before I even consider the ritual angle. It changes how you look at the whole site. Anyone else get tired of the 'ritual' catch-all?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciap5222d ago

Dr. Evans was right. Started making myself guess if it was a kitchen tool or a kid's toy first. Broke the habit pretty fast.

oscar66622d ago

Oh man, my buddy did something like that. He kept grabbing his wife's fancy vegetable peeler to open packages. She got so mad. He started asking himself "art supply or garage thing" before touching anything on her craft table. Saved his marriage, probably.

lindas3013d ago

Doesn't that just shut down the whole conversation? I saw a museum label a weird stone lump a "ceremonial object" and it felt like a total cop-out. Your three-use rule is a MUCH better way to go.