Seven - Epilogue

Summary

In our quest for objective analysis and widely accepted models, it is easy to forget that culture is a human construct, a creature of its time and place. Thus in the study of religion in particular, literary and artefact analysis, which does not account for human interaction and experience, can only offer partial understanding. Three-dimensional reconstructions and visualisations of space are becoming more widespread, but they commonly omit half of what was visible – accurate representations of the sky. We neglect the decisive value of time, in the form of seasons, day, or night, in ancient experience. Who could argue that experiences and memories of a place, even of a structure, are identical at all times and in all weather conditions?