Sailboats and Solarboats

This post follows "Reefing and Tacking from Libya to Crete" and goes along with an earlier post on  "Solar Jewelry - Mary Cahill". 

Beakers traveled in logboats and cleated plankers, but there may be another boat known to them.

Irish lunulae and solar cross (Coggalbeg, Co. Roscommon)

The Egyptian vessel I included is several centuries younger than the British lunula above, and also the type of boat differs somewhat.  There are better examples of boats with similar prows, however you'll notice some similarities between these two which will suffice...

The decoration of the bow and stern is similar between the two examples.  The EBA plankers that we have were internally cleated and sewn, whereas these boats appear to be externally sewn on the bow and stern in a shoe-lace pattern or are at least skeumorphs of an obsolete design of greater antiquity.

Another interesting aspect are the high prows of the lunulae.  This seems to indicate a boat with a greater surface area above the water line and that may be indicative of how the boat was propelled.

I believe in that original paper Mary Cahill noted how the prow fans appear to have been intentionally twisted in a number of the gold lunulae that have been found.  And finally, you'll notice that all golden lunulae (I believe) lack any decoration below the gunwale [I originally spelled gun rail, intrusive 'r' I guess] on the hull.  The last evidence seems to seal the deal on lunulae being solar boats (although there are complex mythological associations between this boar's tusk, bows, the moon, etc)

Praying in the Chalcolithic

This is really, really fascinating.  It's so simple, so obvious.  I feel like I've been slapped across the face by Captain Obvious*.

First, I apologize for linking to a pay-per-view.  Second, I apologize for a pay-per-view I haven't read.  Thirdly, I pray for the souls who write articles that aren't accessible to those who care.

"Killing or Clemancy" Late 15th Matthew Strickland

Europeans have traditionally prayed with palms together.  It is an ancient habit that predates Christianity and is common among several Eurasian religions.  You may find Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Shintoists praying in such a manner.

The exact origin or meaning may be unattainable, but one line of thinking suggests that it is an act of submission, as one might expect his hands to be bound when lodging or being led into a strange village.  It is an act of vulnerability, but also bravery.

"Woman Praying" Hans Memling c1485 WikiArt

The paper appears to reference Beaker burials, but it really doesn't matter anyway.  The search results and abstract gave enough of it up.  The orientation of the body and the funerary arrangements tell us a little about the religion of the deceased as long as we are careful to not project too much on the materials.

Reinald II of Guelders and Elanor Woodstock (British Library)

I don't know that I ever thought about it too much, but is Amesbury Archer praying?  Most Beakers appear to have their hands together, although some deviate from this occasionally.  The placement of the hands isn't necessarily unique to Beakers, but a case can be made that the orientation of the body is observant.

Is Amesbury Archer praying to the East?  Wessex Archaeology

* This was really more of a manly punch, and a sucker punch at that.  I was surprised nonetheless.

Between Representation and Eternity: The Archaeology of Praying in Late Medieval and Post-Medieval times. European Journal of Archaeology. Rainer Atzbach 2015 [Link]

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore how prayer and praying practice are reflected in archaeological sources. Apart from objects directly involved in the personal act of praying, such as rosaries and praying books, churches and religious foundations played a major role in the medieval system of intercession. At death, an individual's corpse and burial primarily reflect the social act of representation during the funeral. The position of the arms, which have incorrectly been used as a chronological tool in Scandinavia, may indicate an evolution from a more collective act of prayer up to the eleventh century AD to a more individual way of praying in the late and post-medieval periods.