Animals Make Identities. The Social Bioarchaeology of Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic Cemeteries in North-East Europe

The ERC-funded research project entitled ‘Animals Make Identities. The Social Bioarchaeology of Late Mesolithic and Early Neolithic Cemeteries in North-East Europe’ examines how animals affected the identity of Stone Age hunter-gatherers. Among the techniques employed in the project are methods of bioarchaeology and geographic information software.
Prehistoric hunter-gatherers not only felt a close kinship with animals, but also believed they had the ability to transform into animals and converse with them. Mannermaa is looking into how these customs of coexisting with animals are reflected on and stand out in the burial material of prehistoric hunter-gatherers. The project helps understand our own society and our relationship with nature, as well as our identity, which has evolved through these two factors.