ABSTRACT
This chapter profiles important terms and concepts that will be used in the discussion of cultures and their belief systems. It begins with a section on major anthropological thought on the subject; the heart of the chapter discusses the growth of literature in recent decades that deals specifically with the archaeology of religion. The chapter offers some theory and specific methodology regarding ritual, rock art, landscape, sacred places. The latter half of the chapter covers critical terminology used to describe past (and present) components in belief systems.
