What Our Body Tells Us

A physical and political journey through the female body from Prehistory to the present

Why does the female body in prehistory matter? How have narratives about women’s bodies been constructed throughout history? In What Our Bodies Tell Us, renowned archaeologist and science communicator Marga Sánchez Romero invites us to look at the past from a new perspective: the body is not just biology but a powerful tool of identity, power, and social control.

From the first tattoos in prehistory to modern fashion, from funeral rituals to reconstructive surgery, the author explores— through a book that challenges, informs, and empowers—how bodies have been dressed, adorned, worked, punished, modified, and, above all, politically interpreted. Combining archaeology, bioanthropology, history, and feminism, this book reveals that control over women’s bodies is not merely a contemporary issue but a phenomenon with deep historical roots.

With an engaging and accessible narrative, Sánchez Romero brings archaeology to life, making it relevant to the present. Her approach, both rigorous and compelling, offers a thoughtprovoking and necessary exploration of women’s roles in history and the cultural construction of the female body. In short, this is a must-read for understanding the history of the bodies we inhabit.