ABOUT

The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked what she thought was the first sign of humanity. She explained that it was a fractured and healed femur, the long bone in the leg, thousands of years old. A healed femur is evidence that someone helped a fellow human, rather than abandoning them to save their own life, and that is when humanity evolved.

"We are what makes us human" - this is the title of a project launched by the Scottish non-profit organisation, which offers free colouring pages to download. At the heart of the project is the question of the first signs of humanity: charity, healing, mourning or caring - the 20 participating European artists were free to choose the theme and style.

1 Mourning - The scene is set in Rome on the Tiber Island. A woman, obviously in mourning, is collapsed in front of the temple where she has been praying and making offerings for her sick child/husband. The roses indicate a possible imminent loss, as they were often planted near graves according to Roman custom.
2) Healing - Shamanism refers to thousands of years old healing practices that are rooted in many cultures around the world. In parts of Central and South America, shamans still perform rituals according to ancient customs. In the picture, the shaman is burning incense made from the leaves of medicinal plants to relieve the pain of the sick person.