Andy Seaman (Cardiff University; seamanap@cardiff.ac.uk)

This session will build upon the session entitled 'Finding Faith in the Past' that was held at X-TAG in 2006. One of the themes to emerge from that session was a concern that the archaeology of religion cannot be confined to site-specific studies. It was argued that if we are to gain a contextual understanding of religious experience in the past then we must explore the ways in which the sacred was situated within the landscape.

A landscape-based approach to the archaeology of religion, however, brings with it a series of complex theoretical issues. For example, how are religious landscapes explored differently in prehistoric and historic archaeologies? How do we relate the sacred, natural and built environments; indeed, are these valid categories? Other issues surround the processes of conversion, and the role of religion and ritual in structuring experience and perception of landscape. Speakers in this session are therefore invited to explore the ways in which the sacred was articulated within and through the landscape from prehistory to the present day.