Description:
The human body is both the site of lived experiences and a means of communicating those experiences to a diverse audience. Hominins have been culturing their bodies, that is adding social and cultural meaning through the use pigments and objects, for over 100,000 years. There is archaeological evidence for practices of adornment of the body by late Pleistocene and early Holocene hominins, including personal ornaments, clothing, hairstyles, body painting, and tattoos. These studies contribute to a novel and growing body of evidence for diversity of cultural expression in the past, something that is a hallmark of human cultures today.
Brief description:
Benjamin Collins is affiliated with the Department of Anthropology, University of Manitoba, and the Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town. His research explores social networks and connections among past forager societies.
Review Quotes:
"As direct evidence for body decoration and modification is scarce, due to the perishable nature of most of the measures, the authors in this book give examples of evidence how archaeologists can find and reconstruct body decoration, as well as what these practices mean for humans in relation to their individual and social identity." - Ewa Dutkiewicz, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte Archäologisches Zentrum