Status symbols through the ages and their importance in culture

by Dimitris Romeo Havlidis | Mar 27, 2016 | History, Sociology

Throughout history, status symbols – often bizarre ones – have cropped up in art, texts, and archaeological finds, and have puzzled people from later cultures. As in nature, humans are driven by biological imperative (as well as personal desire) to show themselves as the best, and to advance their authority and power. Humans have found a wide variety of ways to display their “superiority” within a community, ranging from fancy dressing, to the erection of wondrous structures, to the acquisition of rare commodities. Enter the status symbol.