Strange, but the skulls were deliberately lengthened by representatives of different ancient communities in almost every corner of the world, from Western Europe and America to the Far East and Africa.
But why did people bandage the heads of their babies to give them a pear-shaped skull? Representatives of one ancient civilization in South America did this, probably in order to show their privileged position in society.
Scientists examined the elongated skulls of the Collagua people who lived in the Colca Valley in southeastern Peru around 1100-1450 CE.
Radiocarbon analysis of the skulls showed that the women of the tribe with artificially elongated skulls ate a wider variety of foods, which suggests that they may have belonged to an elite social group. The study also found that these women were less likely to die from accidents or assaults, which again seems to indicate that they are from the upper classes. The results of this new study were published in the journal Current Anthropology.
The skulls date back to a time when the Collagua tribe was constantly under threat of attack from the Inca Empire. The privileged women with strange skulls during the period of social formation and wars may have been especially noticeable, since they served as a symbol of belonging to a particular tribe, a kind of "national flag".
The study also found that, as the threat from the Inca empire increased, the elongated shape of the skull was more and more often betrayed even by the lower classes. Perhaps, in this way, a sign of belonging to a special social group was developed, which rallied the people of this tribe during the war with other tribes.
As study leader Matthew Velasco of Cornell University notes, "In times of crisis and social upheaval, creating new types of collective identity can enhance a sense of unity and belonging to one's people."
"This may have helped to rally among local elites and strengthened cooperation in industries such as trade, irrigation and mobilization against external enemies, including the Inca empire."
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To deform the skull, the technique of rewinding the baby's head with tight bandages was usually used, or the baby's head was fixed between wooden slats.
This is just one of the versions explaining why one of the ancient cultures used the practice of deforming skulls. Of course, there can be many more reasons for this. Given that many other cultures have done this throughout the history of mankind, the explanations for this can be very diverse.
However, most archaeologists believe that the practice most likely had something to do with social status and a sense of belonging to a particular tribe.
There is also an "alien" version of the origin of elongated skulls, but that's a completely different story.
Svetlana Bodrik