A brief analysis on raw material used for Paleolithic personal ornaments

doi:10.16359/j.1000-3193/AAS.2025.0007

Abstract

Abstract:

Personal ornaments were an essential aspect of Paleolithic material culture, offering valuable insights into human cognition, behavioral modernity, and cultural evolution. The study of personal ornaments often emphasizes the selection and use of raw materials, which form the foundation for interpreting their meaning and significance. Raw material analysis not only establishes a starting point for understanding personal ornaments but also plays a critical role in broader theoretical and methodological discussions. Paleolithic personal ornaments are manufactured from a range of raw materials, including shells, animal bones, animal teeth, minerals, fossils, and ostrich eggshells. The selection and usage of these raw materials differed across regions and periods, reflecting both shared practices and their unique variations. This paper provides a comprehensive review of raw material choices for Paleolithic personal ornaments, focusing on patterns observed across different regions and timeframes. This analysis aims to reveal how material selection was influenced by both practical considerations and cultural traditions. The choice of raw materials for personal ornaments was influenced by a variety of factors, including appearance, durability, portability, workability, accessibility, acquisition cost, and the expectations for the finished product. Durability and portability were inherent qualities required for personal ornaments to withstand prolonged use and transportation. However, practical factors like accessibility, acquisition cost, and workability, were often influenced by cultural traditions, which played a significant role in shaping raw material preferences in the case of early non-utilitarian artifacts such as personal ornaments. This paper argues that cultural traditions were likely the most influential factor in determining the selection of raw materials for Paleolithic personal ornaments among early human groups. This study also examines raw materials used in personal ornament from northern China during the Late Pleistocene. It suggests that the variations in raw material types found on either side of the 112°E longitude likely reflect differences in the cultural preferences or social traditions among distinct groups. These variations confirmed what declared above that raw material selections were deeply rooted in the symbolic or aesthetic values of different communities. As the database of Paleolithic archaeological sites continues to expand and become more detailed, research on raw materials for personal ornaments is expected to offer even deeper insights. Such studies have the potential to enhance our understanding of the behavioral patterns, cultural traditions, and social structures of ancient human populations. By exploring the relationship between material culture and human evolution, these investigations will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the cultural and cognitive advancements among Paleolithic populations.

Key words: personal ornament, raw material, Paleolithic, North China, cultural tradition

CLC Number:

K876/K871.11

WEI Yi. A brief analysis on raw material used for Paleolithic personal ornaments[J]. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, 2026, 45(02): 387-402.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 Shell species used as the earliest Paleolithic personal ornaments

Fig.2 Commonly used shell species as raw materials for Upper Paleolithic personal ornaments

Fig.3 Commonly used animal teeth as raw materials for Paleolithic personal ornaments

Fig.4 Commonly used shell species as personal ornaments during Upper Paleolithic in southern Europe and the Levant

Fig.5 Basket-shaped ornaments from Riparo Mochi made from distinct raw materials

Fig.6 Standardized production sequence for basket-shaped beads made from ivory

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