Cultures of commodity branding / edited by Andrew Bevan and David Wengrow.

The book examines branding not as a modern invention of capitalism, but as a deep historical and cross-cultural practice found in many early societies. The book argues that “branding” the marking, labeling, and authentication of goods has existed since ancient times, including in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age Mediterranean, and early urban societies. These early systems of marking commodities were used not only for administration and trade, but also to communicate identity, authority, and cultural meaning. A key idea in the volume is that branded commodities should be understood as part of a wider set of social practices such as gift-giving, ritual, symbolism, and status display, rather than purely economic or capitalist tools. The contributors show that branding also appears in diverse modern and historical contexts, such as Cameroon, Socialist Hungary, Brazil, China, and even online marketplaces, demonstrating that branding operates across different political and economic systems.