Although it may seem very recent, adorning the body is an age-old human need going back tens of thousands of years. Prehistoric jewelry had a variety of meanings and purposes and was used to signal both individual and group identity. In this lavishly illustrated catalogue, exhibition curator Ahiad Ovadia surveys the fascinating examples of prehistoric adornment discovered in our region.

Texts by other researchers extend our understanding of the ancient phenomenon in various ways, such as a study of the forms adornment takes in traditional societies in our time. The publication includes detailed information about selected objects in the exhibition and ends with Israeli novelist Dror Burstein’s story inspired by a unique piece of prehistoric jewelry.