Archaeologists Find Cone-Headed Girl's Skull From 6,200 Years Ago
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Archaeologists excavating an ancient graveyard in Iran discovered what they believe to be a young woman's skull which had been intentionally modified.
Researchers at the Chega Sofla cemetery, which dates back to the fifth millennium B.C., found the remains of a young woman, whose skull had cranial bandaging, which changes the morphology of the skull.
In her case, intentional bandaging likely from childhood had left her with a cone-shaped head.
Researcher Mahdi Alirezazadeh told Newsweek: "This skull was modified and dates back about 6,000 years. It belonged to a woman under the age of 20. A transverse fracture extends from the anterior part of the frontal bone and it also fractured the left parietal bone."
"Our study of the fracture pattern indicates that this injury occurred in the final moments of the young woman's life and there is no evidence of bone healing. This young woman passed away following this trauma."
Hinge fractures were noted on the skull on both the left parietal and frontal bones, with researchers using CT scan images and sectional slices for analysis, allowing archaeologists insight into the changes of skull thickness and nature of the skull fractures.
A skull found in an ancient burial ground in Iran, which appears to have been modified.
A skull found in an ancient burial ground in Iran, which appears to have been modified.
Mahdi Alirezazadeh/ Hamed Vahdati Nasab/ International Journal of Osteoarcheology
Examination of the cone-headed skull revealed diagnostic features that allowed the team to determine that the skeleton belonged to a young woman—likely less than 20 years old.
Despite the fractures, the bones had remained connected to each other. This, coupled with the fact that there were no signs of healing, suggests they occurred perimortem—at the time of death, or close to the moment of death.
Mahdi said it was "important to note that the intentional cranial modification during the first two years of life had affected the biomechanics of the skull, making it more vulnerable to damage compared to a normal skull.
"However, the severity of the impact was such that even a normal skull would have been fractured."
The researchers believe that the fractures may have been caused by a high-force impact, perhaps with a heavy object.
Imaging of the skull, which allows researchers to determine how the woman may have died.
Imaging of the skull, which allows researchers to determine how the woman may have died.
Mahdi Alirezazadeh/ Hamed Vahdati Nasab/ International Journal of Osteoarcheology
External mechanical forces—in this case, cranial bandaging—can cause changes to the shape of the skull.
The specimen was shown to have lost natural curvature in the frontal, occipital, and parietal bones, and reduced the thickness of the skull, leading it to be weaker than a normal skull, meaning the impact may have caused more damage in the woman than it would to someone with a natural skull shape.
As the fractured bones were not found to be turned aside or penetrated by the object, it is also believed that the object was smooth, and did not have sharp edges to it.
Alirezazadeh told Newsweek that in this cemetery alone, "there are other interesting samples that we are currently working on.
"Some of the results have been published, and some are in the final stages of publication and submission to scientific journals."
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Alirezazadeh, M., & Vahdati Nasab, H. (2025). A Young Woman From the Fifth Millennium BCE in Chega Sofla Cemetery With a Modified and Hinge Fractured Cranium, Southwestern Iran. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3415
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