The Body in History
Europe from the Palaeolithic to the Future

This book is a long-term history of how the human body has been understood in Europe from the Palaeolithic to the present day.

John Robb (Edited by), Oliver J. T. Harris (Edited by)

9780521124119, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 12 November 2015

300 pages, 179 b/w illus. 27 colour illus. 3 maps
28.1 x 21.6 x 1.5 cm, 0.85 kg

'This remarkable volume demonstrates how the idea of the body has been dramatically reworked in successive eras, from the Pleistocene to the present day. Spanning archaeology, history, and cultural studies, the chapters argue that, more than a concept, the body is simultaneously a collection of gestures and comportments that can vary from one era to the next. In a world transfixed by the prospects for robotic and bionic engineering, where the body/technology boundary is becoming increasingly porous and zombies are everywhere, this beautifully written study demonstrates how the body itself has always been in history.' Daniel Lord Smail, Harvard University, Massachusetts

This book is a long-term history of how the human body has been understood in Europe from the Palaeolithic to the present day, focusing on specific moments of change. Developing a multi-scalar approach to the past, and drawing on the work of an interdisciplinary team of experts, the authors examine how the body has been treated in life, art and death for the last 40,000 years. Key case-study chapters examine Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Classical, Medieval, Early Modern and Modern bodies. What emerges is not merely a history of different understandings of the body, but a history of the different human bodies that have existed. Furthermore, the book argues, these bodies are not merely the product of historical circumstance, but are themselves key elements in shaping the changes that have swept across Europe since the arrival of modern humans.

1. O brave new world, that has such people in it Oliver Harris and John Robb
2. Body worlds and their history: some working concepts Oliver Harris and John Robb
3. The limits of the body Dušan Bori?, Oliver Harris, Preston Miracle and John Robb
4. The body in its social context Oliver Harris, Katharina Rebay-Salisbury, John Robb and Marie Louise Stig Sørensen
5. The body and politics Oliver Harris, Jessica Hughes, Robin Osborne, John Robb and Simon Stoddart
6. The body and god Oliver Harris and John Robb
7. The body in the age of knowledge Oliver Harris, John Robb and Sarah Tarlow
8. The body in the age of technology Oliver Harris, Maryon McDonald and John Robb
9. The body in history: a concluding essay Oliver Harris and John Robb
10. Epilogue Marilyn Strathern.

Subject Areas: Physical anthropology [JHMP], Anthropology [JHM], Prehistoric archaeology [HDDA], History: earliest times to present day [HBL], General & world history [HBG]