Attitudes towards prehistoric objects in Romanian folk culture (19th-20th century)
Attitudes towards prehistoric objects in Romanian folk culture (19th-20th century)
Author(s): Alexandru OfrimSubject(s): Archaeology, Cultural history, Customs / Folklore, Ethnohistory, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology
Published by: Språk- och litteraturcentrum, Lunds Universitet
Keywords: archaeology; popular beliefs; collective imaginary; prehistoric artefacts; thunderstones; magical practices.
Summary/Abstract: In the present study we intend to reconstruct the attitudes of Romanian peasants towards the vestiges of prehistoric material culture. They have been in contact with a diversity of prehistoric artefacts: polished and perforated stone axes, silex arrow tips, chisels, scrapers, spindle whorls, jewellery, etc. We try to find answers to the following questions: What people thought about the origin of prehistoric artefacts? What meanings were associated with such artefacts? What was their place in the collective imaginary? Which were the uses of these objects?
Journal: Swedish Journal of Romanian Studies
- Issue Year: 2/2019
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 91-108
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English