Archaeomythology – why unite archaeology and mythology?
When people hear about our institute and its field of research, they often ask what on earth does archaeomythology actually mean? The simple explanation is that we study mythology with the aid of archaeology and vice versa. There are some preconceptions associated with both of these disciplines which would be good to dismantle, so that our approach and methodology would receive its due recognition.
"Archaeology is a branch of science with a staunch position in university teaching. Mythology is a field of fairytales and fantasy, the purpose of which is to entertain. It is not a science, and thus linking it to archaeology is futile." This is a commonly held but outdated and false notion. Before bypassing mythology solely as entertainment, we should consider its position in ancient cultures.
Before the invention of writing, the only media for cultural memory was the spoken word. All culturally important matters were processed through speech. This applied to personal accounts as well as e.g. legal rules and guidelines for religious rituals. Myth was therefore an original form of communication in social communities.
Myths were invented and related long before the era of Ancient Greece, so it's no surprise that the concept of "myth" is much older than the Greek language. The concept originates from the language and cultural traditions of Old Europe, which the Greeks utilized extensively.
The first thinker in Western civilization who pondered these matters profoundly was Plato (circa 400 BCE). He coined the term "mythology" which, for Plato, included "accounts of ordinary life, codes of behavior, and teachings about the actions the Gods". Plato used two terms which have the same meaning: "eikos mythos" and "eikos logos", or "that which is probably true: the logical truth". According to Plato, mythos and logos are equal in value and their meanings are not opposed - in contrast to modern thinking.
When we consider the concept of myth in its wider meaning for the ancient world, it makes sense to link mythological studies to the research methodology of archaeology. Therefore a generous harvest of new perspectives and discoveries can be anticipated. Ancient myths offer valuable information about the ways of life, beliefs, values and divine worship in antiquity. The method includes a certain type of criticism, and indeed not everything in myths must be taken at face value.
The Oracle of Delphi.
According to myths, Goddesses originally reigned over important cult places in ancient Greece. This is true of Delphi, whose first protectress was Gaia, or Mother Earth. Olympia was controlled by the goddess Hera, before men took over the cult place and instituted the god Zeus as its ruler. In Eleusis, where mystery cult rites were held, cult life was dedicated to the goddess Demeter, patroness of agriculture. Archaeologists have found evidence supporting the pre-Greek origins of these sacred places, and historico-linguistic research has shown that the names of the goddesses were also pre-Greek. For example, the name Demeter is made up of two elements: de-/ge- "earth" (Old European tradition) + -meter "mother" (Indo-European origin). In other words, both the ritual history and the names of the Goddesses refer to Old European tradition. As we can see, only interdisciplinary research can bring us closer to the secrets of ancient culture.
Harald Haarmann and Virpi Lehtinen
Read this blog in Finnish here.