Merrifield's book is "The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic" published 1987
by New Amsterdam Books, New York. I second Ron's recommendation. Although
his specific examples are heavily UK-oriented, because that's where he was
working, it's a good overview of the whats, whys, and wheres of the
material remains of ritual and magic (not just concealments).
Thanks everyone for your responses so far!
--Megan Springate
> Just to keep this in perspective, I recommend everyone track down a copy
> of
> Ralph Merrifield's book on magic in archaeology sites. I cannot recall
> the
> title right now, but you can Google it. This is the single most best
> source to begin your understanding of concealment features because the
> author is
> an archaeologist.
>
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>
>
> In a message dated 6/14/2009 9:13:05 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> I see concealed artifacts quite regularly in Central Virginia in
> structures that date to Antebellum times (...and were frequently utilized
> until the
> turn of the 20th century as servants quarters, sheds, etc.). Iron
> artifacts
> are common but other materials are seen as well (e.g. embossed serving
> trays, marble sized blue glass beads, etc.). Many times the iron
> artifacts
> are bent (e.g. small butter knife with bent/curled tang end). A
> frequently
> seen artifact type is woodworking tools or other small-medium sized
> carpentry
> tools.
>
> talk to someone who is in the antique building materials business. these
> folks routinely disassemble historic structures and many keep photos of
> the
> items they find stuck in between the logs or under the floors of historic
> buildings.
>
> Raymond Ezell, RPA
> Senior Archaeologist
>
>
> ECS Mid-Atlantic, LLC
> 915 Maple Grove Drive, Suite 206, Fredericksburg, VA 22407
> T: 540-785-6100 F: 540-785-3577 C: 540-379-5518
> [log in to unmask] • www.ecslimited.com
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Ron May <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2009 3:23:13 AM
> Subject: Re: Concealed Hoe Blade and Outbuilding Converted to a Dwelling?
>
> Megan,
>
> Although I have not heard of a hoe in a concealment, I suppose it is
> possible. When they concealed coins, scissors, knives, pins, and needles,
> they
> bent the items as part of the concealment ritual. If your hoe was not
> bent
> in some way, there might be reason to question the interpretation (like
> maybe they were hiding a weapon or instrument of a crime). That said, the
> ritual
> and meaning of the practice most likely evolved over time between Europe
> and America. I would think that people continued a poorly explained
> ritual, rationalized it in a Christian context, and made do with what
> they
> could
> find. Then there is the belief in "iron" and its magical properties. Some
> people from the Old World ascribed iron as a material that could repel or
> injure otherworld spirits (depending on who you read).
>
> And I should point out that not all items concealed are for ritual magic
> (which, by the way, some authors spell "magick" to distinguish from the
> garden variety of illustionists). I once worked with a crew on a 1830s
> vintage
> Mexican era house in Old Town San Diego that yielded a cluster of a
> dozen
> or
> so old clay marbles. Just about everyone on the crew interpreted this to
> mean a child hid a sack of marbles under the dirt beneath the
> floorboards
> and the sack rotted.
>
> Since we are on the topic of concealments, I thought to ask if you found
> buried horse bones under the floorboards? In Wales, horse skulls were
> buried
> to protect the future residents. In pre-Christian times, entire horses
> were
> buried, but the practice evolved to burying skulls. Horses played an
> important role in Celtic ideology.
>
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2009 2:14:52 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Greetings,
>
> Has anyone encountered hoe blades or other iron tools in concealed
> contexts? I have one that was recovered concealed in the framing for the
> first floor ceiling, immediately south of a chimney. I have done a fair
> bit of reading on concealed ritual objects, and though I've found
> references to the uses of iron, and their placement near chimneys, I
> haven't found any reference to hoes or other relatively large iron
> objects.
>
> Also, has anyone encountered dwellings that were built by converting
> existing outbuildings? The framing of the two-story dwelling indicates
> that it was built by converting a single story, slope-roofed,
> crudely-built outbuilding. The outbuilding was constructed using
> repurposed wood from some other building, as well as tree trunks,
> several
> of which retain their bark.
>
> The questions are both regarding the same context; the building appears
> to
> have been converted to a dwelling in the mid-1850s or so.
>
> Regards,
> Megan Springate, RPA
>
>
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