March 6 - The Semiotics of Religious Landscapes: An Archaeological Perspective

[Arts Communications]

Please join the Department of Anthropology for the 2024 Silver Medal Award Guest Lecture.



Guest Speaker: Professor Edward Swenson, Director of Archeology from the University of Toronto



Title: The Semiotics of Religious Landscapes: An Archaeological Perspective



Anthropologists have long recognized that symbolically charged places of a religious nature exhibit a remarkable “semiotic density.” However, the interpretation of the semiotic affordances of ritual contexts in the archaeological record remains under-theorized. Based on research conducted in South America and Southeast Asia, I compare the semiosphere of the Moche temple of Huaca Colorada, Peru (650-900 CE) with that of the royally endowed āśramas (monasteries) founded by king Yaśovarman I (889-910 CE) in ancient Angkor. The comparison demonstrates how an analysis of the sign properties of ceremonial architecture and related “structured depositions” can permit interpretation of the underlying meanings and intended function of past ritual practices. My approach relies on a semiotic investigation of the material manifestations of repetition, substitution, intimate parallelism, and accumulation characterizing specific building traditions and other archaeological remains, including burials and offerings. Ultimately, I analyze the Andean and Angkorian religious constructions as exceptional spaces of semiosis, powerful machines in the spirit of Deleuze and Guattari that assembled distinct political worlds.



When: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 | 5:00 p.m.

Where: Hagey Hall | Room 1104 |

Reception to follow in PAS Lounge starting 6:30 pm.

Cost: Complimentary

Parking is available in Lot A, C and H. Cost is $5.00


We hope to see you there!
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