Personal Ornaments in Prehistory: An exploration of body augmentation from the Palaeolithic to the Early Bronze Age

Beads, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and many other ornaments are familiar objects that play a fundamental role in personal expression and communication. This book considers how and why the human relationship with ornaments developed and continued over tens of thousands of years, from hunter-gatherer life in the cave to urban elites, from expedient use of natural resources to complex technologies. Using evidence from archaeological sites across Turkey, the Near East and the Balkans, it explores the history of personal ornaments from their appearance in the Palaeolithic until the rise of urban centers in the Early Bronze Age and encompassing technologies ranging from stone cutting to early glazing, metallurgy and the roots of glass manufacture. The development of theoretical and practical approaches to ornaments and the current state of research are illustrated with a wide variety of examples. This book shows that far from being objects of display, of little value in archaeological interpretation and often overlooked, these artifacts are key to understanding trade, relationships, values, beliefs and the construction of personal identity in the past. Indeed, more than any other group of artifacts, their variety in material, form, use and distribution opens doors to both wide ranging scientific exploration and consideration of what it is to be human. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1: IntroductionWhat is a personal ornament? Personal ornaments as an academic subject Ornaments in prehistory, a very long story What is in this book? Chapter 2: Personal ornaments, why are they important in prehistory?Excavating and interpreting personal ornaments: a process Personal issues – identity, memory and material entanglements Practical issues – procurement, technology and use Economic issues – value and specialization Chapter 3: Geography, temporality and interpretationGeographic variation – landscape, materials and ornaments Continuity and change – the long view of ornament use Personal ornaments and the archaeological narrative Chapter 4: Starting at the beginning – the Palaeolithic and EpipalaeolithicShells, the sea and faraway places Bead technologies at the beginning More materials, and the beginning of a long story Artefact biography: Shell beads from Direkli Cave, Turkey Chapter 5: Changing times? The Early NeolithicMemories of times past New practices in settled life An introduction to stone technology The value of ornaments and recycling Artefact biography: Recycled stone pendant from Boncuklu Höyük, central Turkey Chapter 6: Settled life and identity – the Later NeolithicStill looking back to times past Changing technologies and new materials The technology of changing colour Production areas and the beginning of specialization Body ornaments Identity in burial? Artefact biography: A blue bead from the site of Barcın Höyük. Chapter 7: New technologies and interactions – the ChalcolithicTrade networks and adventures at sea Complex technologies and making things A bolder, aesthetic and the question of meaning Looking back, the long story Artefact biography: A shell pendant from Canhasan I Chapter 8: Ornaments and the coming of civilization? - the Early Bronze AgeMore new materials, value and trade The seal and beads in ownership How many, who and how? Established specialization Looking forward, history built on strong foundations Artefact biography: Lapis lazuli bead, Başur Höyük Chapter 9: Summary - dependencies, interactions and long-term changeEconomy - ornaments and specialization Society – ornaments, connections and communications Identity - ornaments in the long term Is it change yet? Envisioning a narrative approach What next? Bibliography