Horse Mandibles in the Paleolithic as Liminal Bodies

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Embodied Essence: Anthropological, Historical, and Archaeological Perspectives on the Use of Body Parts and Bodily Substances in Religious Beliefs and Practices" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The deep bond between humans and horses is well reflected in the Paleolithic record from its earliest stages. The significant role of horses (Equus) in Paleolithic diet is evident from the presence of horse skeletal remains, and specifically mandibles and teeth, at multiple Lower Paleolithic sites worldwide - and for a good reason. Horse marrow has a unique nutritional profile superior to that of most other ungulates. Later, simultaneously with a sharp increase in the presence of horses at Upper Paleolithic European sites, it is the animal most commonly depicted. The horse head was given special focus, as were mandibles, tongue bones and teeth. Among non-WEIRD societies, the responsibility to create 'trust' and 'reciprocity' often includes special treatment of prey remains, especially skulls. Moreover, mandibles and teeth specifically bear liminal qualities. Horses represent ideal shamanistic totems and liminal agents on account of their ability to travel distances, necessary for communicating with entities in other worlds. I argue that these Upper Paleolithic practices highlight the importance early humans attributed to horse skulls and mandibles as liminal bodies, a relationship whose roots lie in the Lower Paleolithic and perhaps in the unique nutritional role horse mandibles played in early human diet.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Embodied Essence: Anthropological, Historical, and Archaeological Perspectives on the Use of Body Parts and Bodily Substances in Religious Beliefs and Practices   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38893.0