“Coneheads” in the Gepid period : Artificial cranial deformation in a community by the Tisza River

Abstract

The deliberate physical transformation of the human body is a very ancient custom that humans have been practicing since prehistoric times. Most methods concerned the soft tissues of the body, the piercing, expanding, and stretching of which have been widespread in terms of both time and space. Significantly fewer procedures targeted the bony skeletal parts. One of these is the artificial modification of the skull, of which, also, examples are known from almost every historical period and continent. The custom of artificial cranial deformation became quite widespread in the Carpathian Basin in the Hun and Gepid Periods. This study presents the anthropological characteristics of people with artificially deformed skulls in the Gepid Period cemetery at Tiszaug-Országúti bevágás, unearthed in two seasons (2018–19). It aims to contribute to our current knowledge of the custom of artificial cranial modification in the Carpathian Basin in the Gepid Period.