The meaning of ‘shamanism’ has been debated for almost three centuries, ever since the term
was coined to describe the activities of those who attained altered states of consciousness in
order to mediate between human beings and the supernatural world. The ritual practices that
characterised these perceived contacts with other realities have left highly physical traces in the
archaeological record of prehistoric peoples, and the potential for the recognition of shamanic
belief systems in the past is now being realised as never before.
In this timely collection, Neil Price provides a general introduction to the archaeology of
shamanism by bringing together recent work on the subject. Blending theoretical discussion
with detailed case studies, the issues addressed include shamanic material culture, responses to
dying and the dead, shamanic soundscapes, the use of ritual architecture and shamanism in the
context of other belief systems. Following an initial orientation reviewing shamanism as an
anthropological construct, the volume focuses on the Northern hemisphere with case studies
from Greenland to Nepal, Siberia to Kazakhstan. The chapters span a chronological range from
the Upper Palaeolithic to the present and explore such cross-cutting themes as gender and the
body, identity, landscape, the social perception of animals, prehistoric ‘art’, and shamanism in
the heritage and cultural identity of indigenous peoples. The volume also addresses the
interpretation of shamanic beliefs in terms of cognitive neuroscience and the modern public
perception of shamanism in the past.