Author: Gary R. Varner
Publisher: Algora Publishing
ISBN: 0875863515
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way, while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, mysterious and imbued with power? Humans since the dawn of civilization have used stone to represent the holy, both by fashioning sacred symbols for themselves and by granting recognition to certain sites occurring naturally. Varner shares his love of nature lore, oral traditions, folklore and ancient religious structures that are still so abundant in the world, and offers insights on the history and the technology of these artifacts, while touching on the importance of preserving a sense of reverence in today's world. This study examines the universal appeal of sites from the Dome of the Rock and Stonehenge to sites sacred to the Inuit and the Cherokees, from the Middle East to the American Midwest and the English Midlands. Philosopher-historian Mircea Eliade wrote, "a rock reveals itself to be sacred because its very existence is a hierophany: incompressible, invulnerable, it is that which man is not. It resists time; its reality is coupled with perenniality." The properties of stone were recognized as unique early in humankind's rise to civilization. Even when cultures were transitioning their technologies from stone to metal, it was stone that was used for ritual and other important acts. Early 20th-century Egyptologist Wallis Budge wrote, "in a tomb of the VIth Dynasty at Sakkrah, when the Egyptians had a good knowledge of working in metals, we see in a painting on the wall the act of circumcision being performed on a youth by an operator who uses a flint knife." Little do the keepers of worry stones today realize that they are practicing one of the ancient traditions of transferring their problems to an inanimate object. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today.
Menhirs, Dolmen, and Circles of Stone
Author: Gary R. Varner
Publisher: Algora Publishing
ISBN: 0875863515
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way, while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, mysterious and imbued with power? Humans since the dawn of civilization have used stone to represent the holy, both by fashioning sacred symbols for themselves and by granting recognition to certain sites occurring naturally. Varner shares his love of nature lore, oral traditions, folklore and ancient religious structures that are still so abundant in the world, and offers insights on the history and the technology of these artifacts, while touching on the importance of preserving a sense of reverence in today's world. This study examines the universal appeal of sites from the Dome of the Rock and Stonehenge to sites sacred to the Inuit and the Cherokees, from the Middle East to the American Midwest and the English Midlands. Philosopher-historian Mircea Eliade wrote, "a rock reveals itself to be sacred because its very existence is a hierophany: incompressible, invulnerable, it is that which man is not. It resists time; its reality is coupled with perenniality." The properties of stone were recognized as unique early in humankind's rise to civilization. Even when cultures were transitioning their technologies from stone to metal, it was stone that was used for ritual and other important acts. Early 20th-century Egyptologist Wallis Budge wrote, "in a tomb of the VIth Dynasty at Sakkrah, when the Egyptians had a good knowledge of working in metals, we see in a painting on the wall the act of circumcision being performed on a youth by an operator who uses a flint knife." Little do the keepers of worry stones today realize that they are practicing one of the ancient traditions of transferring their problems to an inanimate object. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today.
Publisher: Algora Publishing
ISBN: 0875863515
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Why are some rocks simply tossed out of the way, while others, regardless of their size, are held as sacred, mysterious and imbued with power? Humans since the dawn of civilization have used stone to represent the holy, both by fashioning sacred symbols for themselves and by granting recognition to certain sites occurring naturally. Varner shares his love of nature lore, oral traditions, folklore and ancient religious structures that are still so abundant in the world, and offers insights on the history and the technology of these artifacts, while touching on the importance of preserving a sense of reverence in today's world. This study examines the universal appeal of sites from the Dome of the Rock and Stonehenge to sites sacred to the Inuit and the Cherokees, from the Middle East to the American Midwest and the English Midlands. Philosopher-historian Mircea Eliade wrote, "a rock reveals itself to be sacred because its very existence is a hierophany: incompressible, invulnerable, it is that which man is not. It resists time; its reality is coupled with perenniality." The properties of stone were recognized as unique early in humankind's rise to civilization. Even when cultures were transitioning their technologies from stone to metal, it was stone that was used for ritual and other important acts. Early 20th-century Egyptologist Wallis Budge wrote, "in a tomb of the VIth Dynasty at Sakkrah, when the Egyptians had a good knowledge of working in metals, we see in a painting on the wall the act of circumcision being performed on a youth by an operator who uses a flint knife." Little do the keepers of worry stones today realize that they are practicing one of the ancient traditions of transferring their problems to an inanimate object. This volume looks at customs and traditions from around the world, from the curious to the profound, related to stones large and small, from prehistory to today.
Standing with Stones
Author: Rupert Soskin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
Ireland.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
Ireland.
Circles, Standing Stones and Legendary Rocks of West Yorkshire
Author: Paul Bennett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Menhirs
Languages : en
Pages : 78
Book Description
The first survey of the facts and folklore of these ancient and megalithic sites of the West Riding. There are tales of rocks that spin; haunted circles; stones which are the resort of the Devil, faeries, goblins and giants; together with archaeological and antiquarian information. An indispensible guide.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Menhirs
Languages : en
Pages : 78
Book Description
The first survey of the facts and folklore of these ancient and megalithic sites of the West Riding. There are tales of rocks that spin; haunted circles; stones which are the resort of the Devil, faeries, goblins and giants; together with archaeological and antiquarian information. An indispensible guide.
The Standing Stones of Europe
Author: Alastair Service
Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
ISBN: 9780297835455
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
The purpose of the great stone circles and stone-chambered barrows of Europe has always been a mystery. This is a country-by-country guide to the continent's great stone monuments, combining a detailed guide with a gazetteer, and presenting a provocative theory on their use and purpose.
Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
ISBN: 9780297835455
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
The purpose of the great stone circles and stone-chambered barrows of Europe has always been a mystery. This is a country-by-country guide to the continent's great stone monuments, combining a detailed guide with a gazetteer, and presenting a provocative theory on their use and purpose.
New Imperial Series
Author: Archæological Survey of India
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : India
Languages : en
Pages : 414
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : India
Languages : en
Pages : 414
Book Description
Lists of the Antiquarian Remains in the Presidency of Madras
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Madras (India : Presidency)
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Madras (India : Presidency)
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
Transactions of the Scottish Ecclesiological Society
Author: Scottish Ecclesiological Society
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Monuments and Mountains
Author: Garth Weston
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781901214796
Category : Menhirs
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781901214796
Category : Menhirs
Languages : en
Pages : 231
Book Description
The Gentleman's Magazine Library: Archaeology
Author: George Laurence Gomme
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
The Gentleman's Magazine Library
Author: George Laurence Gomme
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description