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> She said: "This spearhead is completely different from everything else we have so we're wondering if it was deposited as part of a ritual or an offering. Som
by AlexB138 6y ago
> She said: "This spearhead is completely different from everything else we have so we're wondering if it was deposited as part of a ritual or an offering.
Something I noticed some time ago: when historians and archeologists don't know what something is, they tend to default to sayings it may be for ritual use. I have no basis on which to disagree with them, but it's something that I see everywhere in historic writing now what I've noticed it, and I find it quite a funny assumption.
- lumost 6y agoI am not an archeologist, but I suspect that this is due in part to how and where intact objects are discovered. Usually a vase, statue, figurine, or other object will only survive in tact over thousands of years if it's left in a sequestered area and treated with extreme care. Further Archeologists tend to focus on objects that appear to bear cultural significance and hence are unlikely to report on "common" items. There is a somewhat nascent set of research which focuses on the common items and their leftovers. Even cities annihilated by time leave behind pottery, and currency fragments in the dirt. You can even correlate these fragments with other cites to identify the extant of a trade network.