Dissertation for Master's Degree
Handicrafts Group
October 2012
Abstract:
A myth tells the story of an event that humanity tries to overcome its alienation from the natural phenomena around it by clinging to it. One of the most important ways to understand the myths governing an ancient society is to study its burials. It can be said that burial rituals and related myths are the result of human's view of death and the deceased, which has undergone transformation and development over time. From a long time ago, the importance of not polluting the elements of Arbaah led to the use of special materials for burying the dead; One of these items with an ancient background in Iranian culture is pottery, which appeared as a variety of burial containers, and one of the most widely used ones is the urn. The appearance of the urns, the rituals, the way the body is placed and the burial of the urns and uncovered objects all reflect some mythological and philosophical concepts and have been found objectively in the burial urns. descriptive – An analysis has been done. Assuming the diversity of the geographical area and the sameness of the time area in the view of mythological concepts in pot burials in ancient Iran, it is possible to find commonalities about myths and rituals. The second chapter describes the mythological viewpoints affecting burial and burial methods in ancient Iran. The third chapter deals with the classification of pot burials in two parts, prehistoric and historical. The fourth chapter will examine the aesthetic capabilities of pottery as one of the fields of emergence of religious, ritual and mythological thoughts. In the fifth chapter, we will draw conclusions.
Keywords: myth, ancient Iran, pottery, tombs
Introduction
One of the best ways to understand the religious beliefs of people in an ancient society is to study the types of burials in that society. "Burial has been one of the most objective and tangible manifestations of human thought and imagination throughout history. These beliefs can also be investigated by using the objects found in various graves. In order to identify the methods and rituals related to burial, first of all, the rituals and beliefs of the society should be studied. In general, burial rituals depend on the way the living interact with the dead. This type of treatment has been different in each period, depending on social conditions and beliefs. But sometimes there are similarities about the way people perceive death and life after death in different societies. " (Chaichi Amirkhiz, 2014: 21) Belief in the world after death in the mythological beliefs of ancient Iran causes the spread of certain rituals and ceremonies regarding the burial of dead animals, which are subject to time and place conditions. These myths and beliefs are considered a factor to justify this ceremony. Each of the myths have certain rituals and customs, but as it is implied, one of their common customs is burial in a pot, which is the main subject of this research. The religions and myths that govern each society have played an effective and continuous role in the way of burying the dead. One of the beliefs of humanity is to pay attention to not contaminating the four holy elements, water, fire, earth and wind. The realization of these beliefs depended on the use of special tools and materials to bury the dead and in the past; One of these cases is pottery, which has gone through ups and downs and seen changes in each period. "Ceramics are one of the most durable materials for culture transfer due to their compounds and materials resistant to environmental conditions, and in this Burials have appeared in the form of ashtrays, bones and burial containers. (Ibid., p. 17) Among the most widely used burial containers, we can mention the Khamra tomb, which, according to the author's studies, began to be used in the Neolithic period, expanded in later periods, and was used more and more regularly in the Parthian period; In this way, the native traditions and rituals of the ancestors will be continued and mankind will be better and more accurate in preserving the sanctity of the four elements. As will be explained in the chapters of the research, the use of these pots is mostly seen in children and babies, and the way the corpse is placed is in the fetal position.. Also, the appearance of the pots can be adapted to the shape of the womb so that burial in the shape of a fetus in a womb-shaped container can be considered as an interpretation of the sequence between death, familiarization stage, return to the womb and rebirth. The evidence indicates that the terracotta tombs were supported by mythology and special rituals. The most common feature of tombs is abstraction in their design. Because the potter's goal is to achieve the essence of the object, therefore, the general form of these types of pottery is round and curved volumes that finally Simplicity and innocence have crystallized. Forms that usually inspire certain extraterrestrial concepts to a person without so much decoration. After that, the natural forms were simplified so that they could reproduce by means of natural forces. One of these forms is the uterus. Burial is carried out in the fetal state in containers, and the container is considered a symbol of the womb. Burial in fetal form is an interpretation of the sequence between death, familiarization and return to the womb. Children are placed in the vats as embryos and like a seed that is planted in the ground, they are buried in the breast of the mother earth to find life again. Returning to the embryonic stage is equivalent to returning to the initial stage, and perhaps in order to help rebirth, children were buried in the embryonic state. (Eliadeh, 1375: 194)
As we will see in the coming seasons, in most cases the direction of the vats is east-west and the head of the corpse is towards the sun. This shows the sanctity of the sun in past societies. Also, in the motifs found on the outer surface of some pots, circular designs can be seen, which can be reminiscent of the shape of the sun. Most of the pots have a simple appearance or are decorated with additional rope motifs. These motifs are embedded to decorate and strengthen the pots. Perhaps one can imagine the rope-shaped motifs that are stretched around the vats as an umbilical cord that ties the dead body to the womb, mother earth and finally to the rest of the world. Immortality and survival among the people was considered as a natural and instinctive necessity and man considered the secret of this survival in the mysterious environment of nature to be the preservation of the elements that caused the continuation of his existence. In this way, he nurtured forces in his belief that ensured his safety and survival. In the meantime, by creating and using terracotta pot-bellied forms, he established his connection with supernatural forces and through this process, illustrated a kind of sequence, continuity and return to the source of life. In the first chapter, the general structure of the research is reviewed, which includes the purpose of the research, statement of the problem and description of its dimensions, the importance of the research problem, the motivation of the researcher in choosing the subject, the scope of the study and the time period, and hypotheses are proposed based on the research questions. In the second chapter, the mythological and historical attitudes of death in ancient Iran are described, and after a brief explanation of the beliefs and rituals in early societies, burial methods in ancient Iran and the myths affecting them are examined. The third chapter deals with the classification of pot burials in two parts, prehistoric and historical. The fourth chapter will examine the aesthetic capabilities of pottery as one of the areas of the emergence of ritual and mythological thoughts. In the fifth chapter, we will draw conclusions and explain hypotheses. 1-1 Introduction In this chapter, the general structure of the research, including the purpose of the research, stating the problem and explaining its dimensions, the importance of the research problem, the motivation of the researcher in choosing the subject, the scope of the study, and the time period of the research are discussed. Then, based on the researcher's questions, research hypotheses are proposed. At the end, explanations about the research literature are provided.
1-2 research objective
Introduction of burial jars as one of the types of functional pottery
Investigation of mythological concepts in burial jars
Achieving a commonality in the attitude of mythological concepts in different places in the same time frame in Iran. Ancient
1-3 Statement of the problem and description of its dimensions
Tending to superhuman power and clinging to it has a long history and humanity has been continuously trying to find it. Humans generally believe in extraterrestrial forces and this deep belief has manifested itself in a set of specific behaviors. The most important achievement of this tendency is the emergence of myth with different definitions. Basically, myth is the narrator of an event beyond time and place, which humanity tries to remove alienation from the natural phenomena around it by clinging to it.