Myth & Symbol

To many people, Stonehenge is not just a circle of ancient stones on the Salisbury Plain of England—it is a mystery. While archaeology treats Stonehenge as a prehistoric monument, cultural anthropology is equally interested in how it functions as a myth : a powerful story people tell to explain the unknown, establish identity, and connect the present to a distant past. From an anthropological perspective, myth does not mean something false. Rather, myths are narratives that c

Housed in the Bardo National Museum , the 3rd-century Virgil Mosaic —often called “Virgil and the Muses” —offers more than a glimpse into Roman artistic skill. From a cultural anthropology perspective, it functions as a cultural document that reveals how knowledge, power, and identity were constructed in Roman North Africa. The mosaic depicts the poet Virgil  seated with a scroll, flanked by two Muses. On the surface, the image celebrates literary genius. Anthropologically, h

From St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Italy From a cultural anthropology perspective, the cross is best understood not simply as a religious object, but as a symbol —one that carries layered meanings shaped by history, power, belief, and social practice. Symbols, in anthropology, are material forms that represent complex ideas and help organize how people understand the world. The cross is one of the most powerful and enduring examples of this process. At its core, the c

Greek myth, as expressed through poetry, was more than storytelling—it was a cultural language. Through a cultural anthropological lens, these poems reveal how ancient Greeks understood the world, their gods, and themselves. Epic works like The Iliad and The Odyssey weren’t just art; they were shared narratives that shaped collective identity, moral values, and social order. Myths encoded lessons about heroism, fate, and community, reflecting the belief systems and power stru