Re: India archaeological measurments [was: Re: temple/pyramid plans]

<boatloads snipped>

Tom wrote:
I'm still not certain what you mean by those two new-to-me terms. Could
you define them more closely for me?

Doug wrote:
Mytho-geographical seems to be a word used to both bodies of knowledge,
praxis, and a way of mapping. And places. I don't see any requirement for
a center though. Or any reason to think that any such concept today
relates to what people were thinking 2 thousand years ago.

http://www.johndavies.org/articles/article_04_07_06.html

I don't think that link is helpful at all. It seems more like an advert
than anything else. For a better start, try these two:

http://www.gravesnet.com/drop/Archaeological_Landscapes_And_Textual_Images.pdf
http://www.gravesnet.com/drop/SacredLandscapes_And_The_Phenomenon_Of_Light.pdf

The best field to look to for further info on this topic is Cultural
Geography.

Mytho-geography is short for "mythic geography" and combines the two
words in one: the physical and imagined communities of meaning. In
essence, a place is never really devoid of our impressions, meanings,
associations or <ahem> myths. I am sure you can see a mythic landscape
in varying degree in your town (flags, churches, parade squares,
heritage sites, etc.); and for Amerindians the "sacred landscape" is
just a highly focused version of this. A cultural landscape could be
construed in a non-religious way but, personally, I tend not to do so
(because I see politics as so much myth). That is why I use
"mytho-geography" as an umbrella term for all these things.

On the other hand, a mytho-geographic *center* is a highly-charged
place within the general (mythically charged) landscape. I already
gave one example: Saint Peter's tomb/altar is to Vatican City what a
mytho-geographic center is to sacred/mythic landscape. Clear?

As to Doug's point, I don't see the relevance in limiting myself to
what I *think* such peoples thought; I am doing a cross-cultural study
and I would just spin wheels in the mud if I didn't apply some of my
own criteria. Elsewise, how could sociology ever progress? Can a
sociological principle apply if the individual his or herself is
unaware of the larger sociological pattern at work? I think not.

So I shall continue on this route.

By the way, I am making a little headway into the dimensions of Indian
architecture/sites. But am mostly waiting till I get back to work when
I can follow-up on the research leads. I work at a university here in
Canada (staff, not faculty) and am in book-heaven.

-Chris

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