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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Intrigued by Conical Skull Found in Ancient Burial Ground
Archaeologists in Iran have discovered an ancient cone-shaped skull that is believed to have belonged to a teen girl — and there are signs of tragedy in her bones. As Live Science reports, the skull, which was found in a prehistoric burial ground known as Chega Sofla without its corresponding skeleton, shows signs not only of intentional modification, but also possibly fatal blunt force trauma. Dated to roughly 6,200 years old, the strange cone shape of the skull appears to be the product of a practice archaeologists today call artificial cranial modification, a process similar to foot-binding in which the soft skulls of children are bandaged to deliberately deform them. Found across cultures and millennia, this type of body modification has been undertaken for various reasons, including to denote social status or adhere to beauty standards, as evidenced by it more often being seen in girls than boys. Though it's still occasionally practiced today, the practice sometimes referred to as "skull elongation" was far more common in prehistoric times. The girl with the conical skull in this study, for instance, was believed to have lived in the fifth millennium BCE. Aside from the cone-shaped cranium of the young woman, who was believed to be younger than the age of 20, archaeologists Mahdi Alirezazadeh and Hamed Vahdati Nasab of the Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran — who also authored a study about their discovery that was recently published in the International Journal of Osteoarcheology — also found a long, unhealed fracture on the back of the skull that likely killed her. "We know this woman experienced the fracture in the final moments of her life," Alirezazadeh told Live Science, "but we don't have any direct evidence to say that someone intentionally struck her." Though it's unclear whether the ancient teen in question was intentionally killed or died by accident, the researchers believe that the modified shape of her skull likely made it weaker and more susceptible to trauma than a conventional cranium. Along with pointing out that an unmodified fractured skull was found alongside the conical skull in the portion of Chega Sofia where they were working, Alirezazadeh also noted that whatever killed the latter "was so severe that it would have fractured a normal, unmodified skull as well." More on head science: Scientists Want You to Ink an Electronic Tattoo On Your Forehead So Your Boss Can Detect Your Mental State
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
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@ 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.
