This semester we will explore religion and ritual using archaeological methods and theories. Archaeologists use a number of different methods and theoretical approaches to investigate religion and ritual. As we will see this semester, the beliefs that we usually describe as “religion” or “cult” have played powerful roles in the development cultures throughout history, and in the daily lives of people who participated in those cultures. Over the course of the semester, we will tackle a number of topics including perspectives on religion from different disciplines; religion and political economy; burial practices; and the materiality of ritual practice. We will use a range of archaeological case studies, including paintings in Paleolithic (Stone Age) caves in Europe, the earliest evidence of people worship in the Near East, religion and performance in the Maya kingdoms of Mesoamerica, and the archaeology of of Biblical times in the Middle East.