Rituals are a special form of human action that occur worldwide in various shapes and forms. Rituals convey cultural knowledge, construct social identities, and structure the lives of many billions of people on this planet. Ritual behavior seems to be universal, a true characteristic of the species Homo sapiens. Since the 19th century, the phenomenon of ritual has been the focus of various academic disciplines, including theology, sociology, and ethnography. Over the past 25 years, empirical research applying the theories and research tools of the cognitive sciences has led to a significant gain in knowledge about the psychologically active elements of ritual. Despite this impressive accumulation of knowledge, researchers rarely address questions about the evolutionary origins of this typically human behavior. Nor are attempts usually undertaken to integrate the latest findings from Paleolithic archaeology or current research on primatology into cognitive perspectives on ritual. However, the scientific study of ritual evolution requires a truly cross-disciplinary approach, one that consciously transcends the historically grown barriers between the humanities and the natural sciences.

This conference brings researchers together from separate disciplines such as prehistoric archaeology, psychology, primatology, cultural anthropology, and other social and cognitive sciences. Our goal is to initiate a fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue, to jointly evaluate our current knowledge on the topic of ritual evolution, and to identify new research perspectives. The conference will be structured around the following guiding questions:

1. What do we know about ritual behavior of today’s Homo sapiens?
2. What do we know about the ritualized behavior of our closest primate relatives?
3. What do we know about the oldest rituals in the Paleolithic?
4. What are the connections between ritual behavior and Paleolithic art?

A special concern of the conference is to integrate the rich archaeological record more deeply into ritual studies. In addition to presentations, the meeting includes an excursion to the Swabian Jura World Heritage Sites, where the world’s oldest figurative artworks were excavated, including the earliest known figurines of human-animal hybrids, musical instruments, and the oldest female depiction. Many of these exceptional finds are exhibited in the Urgeschichtliches Museum Blaubeuren, which the participants will visit on day 3.

The conference is supported by a generous grant from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. The lectures will be held in a hybrid format so that interested listeners are able to attend the conference digitally.

Program

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4, 2023

Session 1: What do we know about ritual behavior of today’s Homo sapiens?

Session 2: What do we know about the ritualized behavior of our closest primate relatives?

Evening program

THURSDAY, OCT. 5, 2023

Session 3: What do we know about the oldest rituals in the Paleolithic?

Session 4: What are the connections between ritual behavior and Paleolithic art?

Evening program

FRIDAY, OCT. 6, 2023

Excursion (optional)

Contact regarding organization:

r.dapschauskasspam prevention@stud.uni-heidelberg.de

sibylle.wolfspam prevention@senckenberg.de

mareike.keysanspam prevention@senckenberg.de