Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant: Transformation of Gallo-Roman Culture

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Examining human behaviors in the past, particularly ritual activity, can provide insight into ritual practices and religious beliefs today. Erdman's project, under the guidance of Dr. Peter Wells, examines the role of ritual offerings as devices for communicating with the supernatural world through their deposition into sacred watery places in the Gallo-Roman Period (50 BC - AD 450).A freshwater spring, known as the Source of the Douix, in Châtillon-sur-Seine, France will be used as a focus for comparison to other sites. The quantities of recovered votive offerings and the near continuous use of the site over two thousand years contain data that can help to answer the following questions: How are the objects deposited in sacred spaces, particularly those in water, used as communicative devices? Do the types of objects change over time, and if so, how can these changes be explained using archaeological evidence? Evidence from the Douix will then be used for multiple levels of comparative analyses, such as comparison to other local sanctuaries, regional watery sites (other springs, rivers and lakes), and regional sanctuaries associated with mother goddesses. Detailed presence/absence analysis will record the types of objects at each location, the materials or media represented, and the types of deities at each location. Through detailed comparisons of such data, it will be possible to recognize patterns of offerings from place to place, and such patterns will help illuminate the purpose of the offerings.In addition to applying a new approach and perspective to archaeological material that is overdue for more advanced interpretation, the intellectual merit of this study is its potential to influence multiple disciplines through its focus on the material side of ritual practices and religion. Looking at offerings as objects chosen for their communicative value is an idea that has the potential to influence archaeological and anthropological studies of religion from all periods and locations. Examining offerings in this way may also contribute to studies of the Classical world, Religious Studies, and Material Culture Studies. Preliminary results of this study have already been disseminated to the archaeological community at national and international conferences and in a recent book chapter. Additional plans include the collaborative monograph about the site which is already in progress. The results of this research will be disseminated to both local inhabitants and tourists via the Musée du Pays Châtillonnais, thus having a significant broader impact. The collection from the Douix is visited by thousands of visitors a year, but little information is available to the public. The Douix represents a unique educational opportunity for visitors to see the archaeological site and the artifacts recovered from the spring as they are within walking distance from one another. A better understanding of the ritual practices that took place at the Douix, and the ability to interact with the spring and the collection, will bring the past alive and will foster a stronger sense of heritage in this archaeologically rich region.