Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

Second Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Baram, Uzi

Keywords

Latter-day Saints, Archaeology of Religion, Material Culture, Nauvoo, Illinois

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

In this thesis, I examine the archaeology of religion at Nauvoo, Illinois, of the Latter-day Saints. Despite the many contributions of central figures of archaeology to the study of religion, many more steps must be taken to ensure the most effective and respectful methodology possible. Scriptures of the Latter-day Saints, some of their firsthand accounts of persecution and some scholarly work establish the central questions of the thesis. The excavations of nineteenth-century Nauvoo, Illinois, provide a context for the discussion of the study of religion through material culture. The work of three central figures in the archaeology of religion demonstrates the theoretical approaches surrounding the excavations, and possible positive paths forward. The conclusion of the thesis demonstrates the connections between material culture and religious documents, as well as between faith and materiality, and presents the implications for future research.

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