Religion in Culture Lecture
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On Wednesday, October 19, 2005, the Department hosted another
Religion
in Culture lecture, this time delivered by the
archaeologist and former Chair of the Department of Anthropology,
Prof. Jim
Knight.
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Prof. Knight listening to Prof.
Murphy's introduction.
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Prof. Knight's lecture was on the culture of the people who
once inhabited the region known today as Moundville--an archaeological
site 14 miles south of Tuscaloosa which, 800 years ago, was
the largest urban dwelling in North America. Among the curious
features of this once active Native American civilization
was not only the role played by the large mounds that remain
today but--more interestingly perhaps--the reasons why, within
a generation, the entire city seems to have emptied but for
its leadership and ritual specialists, who remained, turning
the once vibrant city into what scholars call a necropolis--a
city-wide burial site for peoples in this region.
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Although no one remains to verify modern scholars' views
on the details of their culture, Prof. Knight's lecture persuaded
listeners that much of the symbolism recovered from the site
functioned to legitimize the ruling elites' control over the
practices and institutions associated with their societies'
belief in the afterlife.
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Examples of the sorts of artifacts
and designs unearthed at the site.
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For more information on the Moundville site,
visit the Moundville
Archaeological Museum.
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Betty Dickey, Administrative
Assistant for the Department of Religious Studies, looks on
as Prof. Murphy (recovering from knee surgery) speaks with
Prof. Knight, prior to his lecture.
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Over 80 students, faculty,
and staff members attended the lecture.
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Our thanks to Betty Dickey and Donna Martin for planning
this event. Also, our thanks goes to Samantha Sastre for
her photo journalistic talents.
This event was made possible by the College of Arts &
Sciences' Anonymous Lecture Fund in the Humanities
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This was among the best attended Religion
in Culture lectures that the Department has hosted
since beginning the lecture series in 2001, when the current
Chair of Anthropology, Michael
Murphy, presented our inaugural talk.
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Drawing upon slides of artifacts found at the Moundville
site, along with artists' reconstructions of their possible
ceremonial uses, Prof. Knight's lecture connected the symbols
to the worldview of the Mississippian peoples who once inhabited--and
later, buried thousands of their dead--in our region.
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The area is named for the large mounds found
all throughout the site, which were annually rebuilt and enlarged
and on which domestic dwellings once stood. Note the size
of the mound in comparison to the jogger (wearing white) on
the road.
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Fielding the first of many audience questions
on the history of Moundville and the possible reasons for
its transformation into a necropolis.
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After the lecture, Prof. Knight answered questions, prior
to joining the reception. Here, he speaks with Michael Picone
(left), Professor of French and Linguistics and Chair of
Modern
Languages and Classics, and Tom Sawallis who teaches
linguistics in the Department of English.
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As always, a small reception was hosted after
the lecture; here, REL student (and up-and-coming rock singer),
Chris Hurt, leads the way through the cookies.
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Ron
Rogers, Dean of the Graduate School, speaks after the
lecture with Prof. Bill
Dressler of the Department of Anthropology.
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Prof. McCutcheon, Chair of the Department
of Religious Studies, speaking with Dan Ross, Director of
the University
of Alabama Press.
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Judging by the attendance, substance of the
lecture, and the time spent talking afterward, Prof. Knight's
lecture was another successful event, the first one held in
Gorgas Library's Henry Jacobs's Room, the new home to all
Religion in Culture lectures.
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