A multistep evolutionary scenario for the culturalization of the human body

Our unique ability to culturalize our body has deep roots. We propose an evolutionary scenario for the culturalization of the human body that, although only relying on technologies that have left traces on the archaeological record, identify trends that may shed light on the evolution of ephemeral practices. This scenario starts 500-300 ka and identifies major tipping points at 140 ka, 70 ka and 45 ka, followed by an acceleration corresponding to the emergence of production economies. The logic that has governed this step-by-step process is that of a gradual increase in the complexity of the technologies used to culturalize the body and in the time and effort invested in the acquisition and transformation of raw materials needed to implement them. In parallel, the gradual complexification of symbolic codes required the creation of dedicated cognitive functions and neural circuits allowing the increasing complexity of the messages conveyed by these practices to be deciphered and novel values to be attributed to these representations and their association on the body. Ephemeral practices have also probably progressed towards increased complexity in terms of techniques, symbolic codes, and the involvement of specialized individuals to ensure their continuity and, if needed, further elaborate development.