In this chapter, we present archaeological evidence for practices of adornment of the body by Paleolithic hominins, including painting with ochre, tattoos, personal ornaments, clothing, and hairstyles. These practices served to mark differences such as gender, status, and ethnicity amongst people, to attract or intimidate others, and have been interpreted as indices of a symbolically mediated self and personal identity. We then discuss the possible evolutionary context for the selection of these behaviors. By way of conclusion, we consider the state of the discipline in interpreting these practices to explore constructed identities in the Paleolithic.
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