Sacred darkness : a global perspective on the ritual use of caves /

This groundbreaking work summarizes the archaeological, historical, and ethnographic evidence for the ritual use of caves worldwide. Caves are usually thought of as prehistoric residential spaces, resulting in the concept of "the cave man," but ceremonial and ritual use was more important, as this volume shows. The 29 chapters by experts on cave sites around the world are organized in groups: "Old World Ritual Cave Traditions" (nine chapters on such topics as Paleolithic caves in Europe and the underworld in ancient Egyptian religion); "New World Ritual Cave Traditions" (seven chapters on locations in Mesoamerica and the US); "Case Studies in Ritual Cave Use" (four chapters on Malaysia, the Adriatic, the Bahamas, and zooarchaeology); and "Ethnographic and Ethnohistoric Studies" (six essays on Ireland, Zimbabwe, the Great Plains, the Andes, etc.). The final group of three essays, "New Approaches," looks at integrative work and concepts focusing on the popular idea of "the cave man" and the implications of spatial constraint in caves. An excellent final essay, "Why Dark Zones Are Sacred: Turning to Behavioral and Cognitive Science for Answers," brings the whole volume together. This volume is stimulating and unique, and has global importance. Summing Up: Essential. All college and university libraries. L. M. Foster University of Montana - Helena