Constructing Identity in the Swabian Aurignacian

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Culturing the Body: Prehistoric Perspectives on Identity and Sociality" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The human body plays a significant role in constructing identity. According to Bourdieu (1974, 1976), the habitus, displays the social status and the role of the individual within a society. Group membership manifests itself with symbols like personal ornaments, the choice of emblematic objects, and their compositions. The ornamented body also displays stages in the life circle of individuals. One of the oldest, well-documented assemblages proving such kind of behavior may be the Aurignacian in the Swabian Jura. Personal ornaments are a wide-spread phenomenon in this region from 43.000 to 32.000 cal BP. Typical bead-forms, like the double-perforated bead, show the cultural unity throughout the whole Aurignacian sequence. Other forms prove diversity and change in time. In addition to these, several figurative depictions of humans provide us with a deeper insight into gender- and status-related differences of body adornment. Two female depictions from Hohle Fels bear markings. Here, different zones and probably purposes of the decorations are present. The therianthropes, like the two Lionmen from Hohlenstein-Stadel and Hohle Fels, are very likely male depictions, combined with animal-like features. Their decorative elements might be linked to a special role of these individuals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Culturing the Body: Prehistoric Perspectives on Identity and Sociality

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24562