Archaeological Approaches to Dance Performance

The aim of this volume is to explore a topic which occurs in all cultures from as early as the Upper Palaeolithic, but has so far been underexplored in archaeological literature – the archaeology of dance. The contributions to this volume examine the archaeological evidence for dance performances from a variety of geographical areas and time periods. The common element in these papers is the human body and the implicit meaning of the act of dancing. Since dance is a multi-faceted phenomenon, the papers in this volume treat it from a variety of perspectives, focusing on the one side on recognizing dance in the archaeological record and on the other in an attempt to look into the deeper meaning and symbolism of dance performances. The aim of the book is to highlight the importance of a study of dance for archaeology, in order to form a more nuanced understanding of the past.