COURSE DESCRIPTION

This seminar style course explores the scientific evidence for the emergence of religious practices in human prehistory. In examining archaeological and other evidence from a variety of contexts across the ancient world, this course covers a wide range of topics including the nature of religious beliefs, the social role of religious institutions, the importance of ritual, and the evolution and spread of specific cults and religious belief systems..

This course may be used as an elective in the Philosophy of Religion and the Philosophy of Science and Religion minors -- 2 credits.