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Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Alien' skull of toddler is actually evidence of long-standing practice of head shaping
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. While installing a water pipeline in Argentina last month, workers stumbled upon the skull of a child who was buried at least 700 years ago. The archaeological discovery quickly garnered media attention because of the asymmetry of the skull, drawing comparisons to aliens. But the flattening on the back of the skull, which belonged to a 3- to 4-year-old child, is simply the result of the cultural practice of head shaping, Cristian Sebastián Melián, director of the Provincial Directorate of Anthropology in Catamarca, Argentina, told Live Science in a translated email. The skull was found on May 27 in the town of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca in northwestern Argentina. When archaeologists investigated the pits made in the infrastructure project, they found broken and burned llama remains, along with a ceramic vessel typical of pottery from the Inca occupation there between 1430 and 1530, Melián said. But the child's skull was found several feet away along with the rest of the skeleton, which was placed in the grave in the fetal position. Although the child had no grave goods, pottery fragments in the dirt suggested a date of death around 1100 to 1300. The archaeologists did not see any trauma on the child's skeleton, but they noted the "pronounced cultural cranial alteration of the oblique tabular type," Melián said. The practice of head shaping, or cranial modification, dates back thousands of years and has been found in all parts of the world. While some cultures used long stretches of cloth wrapped around a baby's head to create an elongated shape, others applied padding to the front or back of the baby's head to create a flatter shape. Nowadays, often for medical purposes, parents may employ a special helmet to ensure their baby has a round, symmetrical head. Related: 'Cone-headed' skull from Iran was bashed in 6,200 years ago, but no one knows why The child's skull found in San Fernando was likely shaped using padding to encourage the "oblique tabular" shape, which is flat or sloping at the front and back of the skull. This practice can cause the sides of the skull to widen and appear bulged. RELATED STORIES —Viking Age women with cone-shaped skulls likely learned head-binding practice from far-flung region —Hirota people of Japan intentionally deformed infant skulls 1,800 years ago —Deformed skulls and ritual beheadings found at Maya pyramid in Mexico Most scholars of ancient head shaping agree that the practice had few, if any, negative health consequences. Instead, experts say the practice was linked to social identity or to child-rearing preferences. Currently, the Provincial Directorate of Anthropology has more than 100 skulls from ancient people in its skeletal collection, Melián said, and evidence of head shaping is extremely common. "Approximately 90% of them have an erect or oblique tabular shape" to their skulls, Melián said.
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Scientists are BAFFLED by a mysterious deformed skull discovered in Argentina - as some claim it could be so-called 'ANTMEN'
With its weird elongated skull, it looks like the long lost remains of an alien visitor to Earth. Wherever it's from, scientists have been left utterly baffled by this mysterious deformed skull discovered in Argentina. Archeologists say the skull – found by workers at San Fernando, Catamarca province – has a structure that differs markedly from that of a conventional person. The cranium is hugely elongated, as if it once housed a brain that was bigger and more powerful than that of any known human. Some local media have been describing it as a newly-found group of archaic humans. Others have been dubbing it 'antmen' in reference to the dog-sized army of ants that appeared in Greek mythology. Also known as Myrmekes, antmen lived in enormous anthills with complex winding passageways loaded with stolen loot, according to legend. But the skull's head shape also bears a stunning similarity to the extraterrestrials that appeared in the 1990s sci-fi classic ' Mars Attacks!' The 'unexpected discovery' was made by construction workers during an excavation for the installation of drinking water, local daily newspaper El Ancasti reports. The workers found two funerary urns containing human remains – one of which contained the unusually-shaped skull. One of the urns reportedly contained a complete skeleton, while the other contained partial remains that will also be analysed by experts at the National University of Catamarca. 'What drew the most attention was the unusual shape of one of the skulls , whose structure differs markedly from that of a conventional human,' the paper said. 'The discovery generated great interest and was reported to the provincial anthropology authorities, who are expected to arrive on the site. 'The site has been fenced and remains under guard to preserve the remains and facilitate the work of specialists.' As the news was revealed locally, certain media described the skull as 'antmen' in reference to the Greek legend, Heritage Daily reports, but the truth may be even more grizzly and unpleasant It's possible the owner had their skull cruelly deformed in a barbaric method called 'artificial cranial deformation'. Artificial cranial deformation involved applying pressure to infants' skulls with splints or bandages when the bones were still flexible, resulting in an elongated skull with a flat or curved line across the back marking the area where the pressure was applied. This ancient cultural practice was commonplace by groups such as the Ciénaga and Aguada people that lived between the 3rd and 12th centuries AD. Rick Schulting, a professor of prehistoric archaeology at the University of Oxford, said cranial modification was a common practice in many parts of the world, including western South America. 'This was done for various reasons, including aesthetics and marking out social groups – e.g., ethnicity or higher social status,' he told MailOnline. 'It was done by binding an infant's head with bands, sometimes using boards to achieve the desired shape. There is no evidence that this ever harmed the infant.' Dr Heidi Dawson-Hobbis, senior lecturer in biological anthropology at the University of Winchester, said 'it looks like the skull may be of a juvenile'. 'From looking at the photo my first thought was hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain), but it is difficult to tell from the photograph,' she told MailOnline. 'Alternatively depending on the date of the remains various different cultures in South America practised head binding or the use of cradle boards which led to modified skull shapes.' 'Trepanning', also known as 'trepanation', involved a piece of bone being drilled and removed from the skull. Pictured, a trepanated Neolithic skull Other artificial cranial shapes opted for by various cultures around the world included rounded and conical, but ancient people worldwide practiced even more dramatic alterations to their skull, including 'trepanning', also known as 'trepanation'. This involved a piece of bone being drilled and removed from the skull, usually with the goal of relieving pressure or fulfilling ritualistic practices. It's unclear what state the second skull newly found in the other Argentinian funerary urn is in; MailOnline has contacted the authorities for more information. In a statement, experts at National University of Catamarca said: 'Interpreting these findings offers and opportunity to deepen our connection with our ancestry. 'By respecting and valuing these cultural practices and their meanings, we honour the memory of our ancestors and connect with them through our shared human experience.' THE BIZARRE HISTORICAL PRACTICE OF TREPANATION Trepanation is a procedure which was done throughout human history. It involves removing a section of the skull and was often done on animals and humans. The first recorded proof of this was done on a cow in the Stone Age 3,000 years ago. It was a process that was still being conducted in the 18th century. The belief was that for many ailments that involved severe pain in the head of a patient, removing a circular piece of the cranium would release the pressure. Before then, dating back to the Neolithic era, people would drill or scrape a hole into the head of people exhibiting abnormal behaviour. It is thought that this would release the demons held in the skull of the afflicted.
