Posters by Clara Mancarella
The aim of this poster is to illustrate the issues encountered during the study and in particular... more The aim of this poster is to illustrate the issues encountered during the study and in particular the digitalization with the DASI-System of the Ancient South Arabian’s minuscule Sabaic inscriptions preserved in the Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek in München and published by Peter Stein in 2010. The corpus object of this study is presented together with its peculiarities, emerging from a comparison with the monumental texts. In fact, the minuscule inscriptions have specific linguistic and epigraphic characteristics which differentiate them from all other texts. This serves as a basis for discussion on the possible implementations and adaptations of the DASI-System according to these specific needs characteristic of the minuscule texts. New proposals for the introduction in the DASI-System of new categories and classification strategies are suggested. Thus, the flexible nature of the DASI-System emerges, which provides the benefits of digital technology without the risk of leaving important aspects of the different textual categories unaccounted. This is achieved by following the fundamental principle that the texts should not be levelled out to respect the guidelines of a digitalization system but, on the contrary – as it is the case in DASI – the system may (and should) continuously be adapted to the new needs that emerge when working on the texts.
Conference presentations by Clara Mancarella
Red Sea Conference XI, 6th of June 2024, Barcelona, 2024
In the early 1st millennium BCE, Sabaean people, originating from the Marib and Sirwah regions of... more In the early 1st millennium BCE, Sabaean people, originating from the Marib and Sirwah regions of present-day Yemen, migrated to the northern Ethiopian and southern Eritrean highlands. This resulted in the emergence of a syncretic culture that we term “Ethio-Sabaean” precisely to emphasise its syncretic nature, which characterizes also the religious and ritual spheres. The involvement of cattle in cult and ritual is one noteworthy aspect shared by both the Sabaean and Ethio-Sabaean cultures. However, this raises questions regarding the differences in the role played by cattle in religious and ritual practices within these two cultures. What can be attributed to an acculturation process following the Sabaean migration and what should instead be traced back to local and inner-African origins?
To address these inquiries, we will examine the evidence for the presence (or absence) of cattle or cattle representations within religious and funerary contexts in both Sabaean and Ethio-Sabaean sites. Furthermore, traces of rituals involving cattle in local communities of the northern Horn of Africa prior to the Sabaean migration will be investigated. By drawing comparative analyses, this paper aims to shed light on the significance of cattle within cult and ritual on both sides of the Red Sea.
Both the Sabaean and the Ethio-Sabaean cultures provide evidence for the presence of cattle and c... more Both the Sabaean and the Ethio-Sabaean cultures provide evidence for the presence of cattle and cattle representations in religious and funerary contexts in various forms, such as figurines, statuettes, concentrations of bones or mentions in inscriptions. By examining such evidence, this paper discusses the role played by cattle in religious and funerary contexts in the ancient South Arabian and East African cultural areas. Questions will be posed about the temporal and spatial (dis)continuities of these practices and their possible cultic significance, as well as their different manifestations on the two sides of the Red Sea in the first millennium BCE. An attempt will be made to outline possible influences from neighbouring cultures.
Keywords: cattle cult; Sabaean culture; Ethio-Sabaean culture; 1st millennium BCE; cultic practices.
The aim of this paper is to present some thoughts about Sabaean funerary customs and their concep... more The aim of this paper is to present some thoughts about Sabaean funerary customs and their conception of death and of the afterlife, focusing on their approach to the cult of the ancestors. In order to do so, the archaeological, osteological, and textual evidence originating from the excavations by the American Foundation for the Study of Man (AFSM) and by the German Institute of Archaeology (DAI) in the cemetery of the Awām Temple in Marib is presented. This serves as a basis for discussion on the possible functional interpretation of the cemetery and on the determination of the social position of the deceased buried in the tombs. Finally, traces of South Arabian funerary practices and beliefs are evidenced and discussed, with particular attention given to a possible veneration of the ancestors within the context of this cemetery.
Publications by Clara Mancarella
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, 2016
The aim of this paper is to present some thoughts about Sabaean funerary customs and their concep... more The aim of this paper is to present some thoughts about Sabaean funerary customs and their conception of death and of the afterlife, focusing on their approach to the cult of the ancestors. In order to do so, the archaeological, osteological, and textual evidence originating from the excavations by the American Foundation for the Study of Man (AFSM) and by the German Institute of Archaeology (DAI) in the cemetery of the Awām Temple in Marib is presented. This serves as a basis for discussion on the possible functional interpretation of the cemetery and on the determination of the social position of the deceased buried in the tombs. Finally, traces of South Arabian funerary practices and beliefs are evidenced and discussed, with particular attention given to a possible veneration of the ancestors within the context of this cemetery.
Drafts by Clara Mancarella
M.A. Thesis, "Pre-Islamic South Arabian burial rites in the context of social change"
Freie Unive... more M.A. Thesis, "Pre-Islamic South Arabian burial rites in the context of social change"
Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
Autor: Clara Mancarella
1. Betreuerin: Prof. Dr. Susan Pollock
2. Betreuerin: Dr. Iris Gerlach
Opposition and Resistance (LV 13775 a+b), Internationales Modul: Berlin-Copenhagen Seminar Winter... more Opposition and Resistance (LV 13775 a+b), Internationales Modul: Berlin-Copenhagen Seminar Wintersemester 2013/14; Prof. Dr. Susan Pollock - Dr. Sabine Reinhold.
Abstract/Introduction:
A focus on opposition and resistance highlights those aspects, components and parts of (ancient) societies which are not only still little known and less considered but normally even completely overlooked by historians and archaeologists during their investigation of the past. Despite this academic indifference, they played an important role in the course of history and are therefore a very stimulating investigation field.
The aim of this paper is to investigate this other side of the coin with regard to the issues of religion, popular cult and rituals in comparison to the official ones. Were there other religious beliefs and customs besides the official and (academically speaking) most famous ones? What meaning did these different sides of religious life have for common people? And which value did they have in a more theoretical sense and especially in regard to the concepts of opposition and resistance to the preordained order? Can religious rituals and beliefs hide resistant and oppositional acts and thoughts?
Trying to cast new light on these complex issues, I have chosen to confine my research to the Late Bronze Age in the upper Syrian Euphrates valley, offering a (re-)examination, (re-)interpretation and discussion of both archaeological (Tell Bazi and Tell Munbāqa) and textual evidence (Tell Meskene and Tell Munbāqa).
The content of this paper has to be taken into account as an introduction to the issues concerning the subject of opposition, resistance and ‘folk’ religion, whose purpose is not to find true answers, but to introduce some inputs for an interpretation of the evidence from a different perspective and thus to prepare the ground for an open discussion and debate.
The paper is organized in two parts. In the first one the geographical and socio-historical context will be introduced, with a brief general overview of the history of the archaeological research carried out for the two case studies. In the second part the textual and archaeological evidence from the LBA settlements of Tell Munbāqa, Tell Bazi and Tell Meskene are presented, which serve as a basis for discussion of the possible evidence for a ‘folk’ religion and the interpretation of such practices as a possible sign of resistance to the official religion and to the official order in general.
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Posters by Clara Mancarella
Conference presentations by Clara Mancarella
To address these inquiries, we will examine the evidence for the presence (or absence) of cattle or cattle representations within religious and funerary contexts in both Sabaean and Ethio-Sabaean sites. Furthermore, traces of rituals involving cattle in local communities of the northern Horn of Africa prior to the Sabaean migration will be investigated. By drawing comparative analyses, this paper aims to shed light on the significance of cattle within cult and ritual on both sides of the Red Sea.
Keywords: cattle cult; Sabaean culture; Ethio-Sabaean culture; 1st millennium BCE; cultic practices.
Publications by Clara Mancarella
Drafts by Clara Mancarella
Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
Autor: Clara Mancarella
1. Betreuerin: Prof. Dr. Susan Pollock
2. Betreuerin: Dr. Iris Gerlach
Abstract/Introduction:
A focus on opposition and resistance highlights those aspects, components and parts of (ancient) societies which are not only still little known and less considered but normally even completely overlooked by historians and archaeologists during their investigation of the past. Despite this academic indifference, they played an important role in the course of history and are therefore a very stimulating investigation field.
The aim of this paper is to investigate this other side of the coin with regard to the issues of religion, popular cult and rituals in comparison to the official ones. Were there other religious beliefs and customs besides the official and (academically speaking) most famous ones? What meaning did these different sides of religious life have for common people? And which value did they have in a more theoretical sense and especially in regard to the concepts of opposition and resistance to the preordained order? Can religious rituals and beliefs hide resistant and oppositional acts and thoughts?
Trying to cast new light on these complex issues, I have chosen to confine my research to the Late Bronze Age in the upper Syrian Euphrates valley, offering a (re-)examination, (re-)interpretation and discussion of both archaeological (Tell Bazi and Tell Munbāqa) and textual evidence (Tell Meskene and Tell Munbāqa).
The content of this paper has to be taken into account as an introduction to the issues concerning the subject of opposition, resistance and ‘folk’ religion, whose purpose is not to find true answers, but to introduce some inputs for an interpretation of the evidence from a different perspective and thus to prepare the ground for an open discussion and debate.
The paper is organized in two parts. In the first one the geographical and socio-historical context will be introduced, with a brief general overview of the history of the archaeological research carried out for the two case studies. In the second part the textual and archaeological evidence from the LBA settlements of Tell Munbāqa, Tell Bazi and Tell Meskene are presented, which serve as a basis for discussion of the possible evidence for a ‘folk’ religion and the interpretation of such practices as a possible sign of resistance to the official religion and to the official order in general.
To address these inquiries, we will examine the evidence for the presence (or absence) of cattle or cattle representations within religious and funerary contexts in both Sabaean and Ethio-Sabaean sites. Furthermore, traces of rituals involving cattle in local communities of the northern Horn of Africa prior to the Sabaean migration will be investigated. By drawing comparative analyses, this paper aims to shed light on the significance of cattle within cult and ritual on both sides of the Red Sea.
Keywords: cattle cult; Sabaean culture; Ethio-Sabaean culture; 1st millennium BCE; cultic practices.
Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften
Autor: Clara Mancarella
1. Betreuerin: Prof. Dr. Susan Pollock
2. Betreuerin: Dr. Iris Gerlach
Abstract/Introduction:
A focus on opposition and resistance highlights those aspects, components and parts of (ancient) societies which are not only still little known and less considered but normally even completely overlooked by historians and archaeologists during their investigation of the past. Despite this academic indifference, they played an important role in the course of history and are therefore a very stimulating investigation field.
The aim of this paper is to investigate this other side of the coin with regard to the issues of religion, popular cult and rituals in comparison to the official ones. Were there other religious beliefs and customs besides the official and (academically speaking) most famous ones? What meaning did these different sides of religious life have for common people? And which value did they have in a more theoretical sense and especially in regard to the concepts of opposition and resistance to the preordained order? Can religious rituals and beliefs hide resistant and oppositional acts and thoughts?
Trying to cast new light on these complex issues, I have chosen to confine my research to the Late Bronze Age in the upper Syrian Euphrates valley, offering a (re-)examination, (re-)interpretation and discussion of both archaeological (Tell Bazi and Tell Munbāqa) and textual evidence (Tell Meskene and Tell Munbāqa).
The content of this paper has to be taken into account as an introduction to the issues concerning the subject of opposition, resistance and ‘folk’ religion, whose purpose is not to find true answers, but to introduce some inputs for an interpretation of the evidence from a different perspective and thus to prepare the ground for an open discussion and debate.
The paper is organized in two parts. In the first one the geographical and socio-historical context will be introduced, with a brief general overview of the history of the archaeological research carried out for the two case studies. In the second part the textual and archaeological evidence from the LBA settlements of Tell Munbāqa, Tell Bazi and Tell Meskene are presented, which serve as a basis for discussion of the possible evidence for a ‘folk’ religion and the interpretation of such practices as a possible sign of resistance to the official religion and to the official order in general.