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In this book the author has first investigated the concept of the devadasi as found in the cultural history of South India, especialy in Tamil Nadu. Hereafter the function and form of the devadasi tradition are examined within the Temple Ritual of Tamil Nadu. This is not the study of the fact of the devadasi tradition, but of its meaning and the mode of production of that meaning.
The first edition of ELL (1993, Ron Asher, Editor) was hailed as "the field's standard reference work for a generation". Now the all-new second edition matches ELL's comprehensiveness and high quality, expanded for a new generation, while being the first encyclopedia to really exploit the multimedia potential of linguistics. * The most authoritative, up-to-date, comprehensive, and international reference source in its field * An entirely new work, with new editors, new authors, new topics and newly commissioned articles with a handful of classic articles * The first Encyclopedia to exploit the multimedia potential of linguistics through the online edition * Ground-breaking and International ...
Cultural identity is a key area of debate in contemporary Europe. Despite widespread use of the past in the construction of ethnic, national and European identity, theories of cultural identity have been neglected in archaeology. Focusing on the interrelationships between concepts of cultural identity today and the interpretation of past cultural groups, Cultural Identity and Archaeology offers proactive archaeological perspectives in the debate surrounding European identities. This fascinating and thought-provoking book covers three key areas. It considers how material remains are used in the interpretation of cultural identities, for example 'pan-Celtic culture' and 'Bronze Age Europe'. Finally, it looks at archaeological evidence for the construction of cultural identities in the European past. The authors are critical of monolithic constructions of Europe, and also of the ethnic and national groups within it. in place of such exclusive cultural, political and territorial entities the book argues for a consideration of the diverse, hybrid and multiple nature of European cultural identities.
This volume focuses on the origin of the early Tamil poetical canon, which constitutes a set of specific subjects, images, principles of arrangement of basic poetical themes which are called tiṇai. The author proceeds from the idea of a Russian scholar O. Freidenberg that literary forms ‘originate from anti-literary material rather than their own archetypes’. An outline of mythological concepts, prevalent in ancient Tamil culture, is presented, alongside main mythological figures - Murukaṉ, Māl, Cūr, Koṟṟavai, Vaḷḷi. A controversial notion of aṉanku, especially in its aspect of an inner female energy, is analyzed. In addition, the author explores the panegyric art of the Tamil kings’ singers, describing such singers and performers while discussing the idea of ritual character. The elements of five canonical tiṇai-themes of the akam poetry are examined, where the use of ethnological data suggests that the themes are based on some behaviour patterns which are meant to ensure a reliable control over the female energy. Finally, the text raises the problem of earlier poetic forms that consolidated the tiṇai system.
The adoption of agriculture is one of the major developments in human history. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that the trajectories of Neolithisation in Northwest Europe were diverse. This book presents a study into the archaeology of the communities involved in the process of Neolithisation in the Lower Rhine Area (5500-2500 cal BC). It elucidates the role played by the indigenous communities in relation to their environmental context and in view of the changes that becoming Neolithic brought about. This work brings together a comprehensive array of excavated archaeological sites in the Lower Rhine Area. Their analysis shows that the succession of Late Mesolithic, Swifterbant cult...
Poetry and music have always been important parts of Tamil literature and from early times, Tamil poetry has been sung. It is not surprising, therefore, to find a number of operatic genres in Tamil literature. One of these is ‘kuṟavañci’, which was especially popular in the seventeenth to nineteenth century. In kuṟavañci, poetry and music are combined with dance to form highly entertaining works, in which serious parts are interspersed with humorous ones. This study deals with this fascinating opera-form. It gives an account of the stories told in these operas and of the various embellishments used in telling them. There is a large section on the poetical and musical forms used, explaining their construction and analysing their use. Several examples of verses and songs are included.
Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.
Essays by leading specialists on a central issue of European history: the transition to farming.
A series of case studies examines the archaeological evidence for and interpretations of landscape learning from the movement of the first pre-modern humans into Europe to the English colonists at Jamestown.