Ornamentation

Ornamentation is decorating or beautifying objects or human bodies. Architecture is ornamentation on a larger scale; human beings alter their surroundings using artistic methods such as stained glass, textured walls and ceilings, and murals. Throughout history human beings have esthetically improved their surroundings. Ornamentation is present in physical objects such as pottery, textiles, and art. It is believed that the Homo sapiens sapiens were the first to sculpt animal and human figurines from ivory, engrave images on limestone blocks, and create ornamentation from ivory, shell, soapstone, and animal teeth. Tools and weapons have been found that appear to have originated 40,000 years ago, possibly to help construct personal ornaments. Cave art and paintings have been discovered at Lascaux dating back around 17,500 years, believed to be made by the Crō Magnons. The site Sungir, located in Russia, shows signs of personal ornaments of ivory and schist carved into geometric and animal forms and dating back28,000 years. Another site in Russia, the site of Kostenski 17 in the Don Valley, dates back 36,000 years and shows signs of ornaments constructed out of fossil coral and belemnites. With the advancement of technologies, both the pottery and textile industries have seen dramatic improvements. Although there have been many instances of extravagant items created from pottery and textiles in the past, new technologies continue to make the process easier and faster than before. Individuals use these artistic techniques to create functional objects, to express a certain characteristic about themselves or their culture, and to leave a footprint of human evolution. These expressions may be made consciously or unconsciously.

Humans adorned themselves from early ages. Human ornamentation involves decorating the body by wearing specific clothing, jewelry, headdresses, body paints, tattoos, body piercings, brandings, [Page 1791]scarifications, or cicatrizations. Decorating the body is a means to communicate and express a variety of meanings that are symbolic of the individual or his or her culture. Some theories associated with ornamentation suggest that certain adornment practices, such as tattooing, serve the purpose of closely connecting social and spiritual customs in a population. Certain cultures believe that the use or wearing of specific ornaments will protect them from evil spirits or bad luck. There is also a belief that body ornaments unify groups of people while placing them in certain geographical areas depending on the characteristics of the ornaments.