Cranial Deformation Research Articles

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

Digging Up Jericho: Past, Present and Future

NOBODY PUTS GRANDMA IN THE CORNER: PLACEMAKING AT EARLY CLASSIC CHAN CHICH, BELIZE

Mortuary evidence of the Early Classic period (AD 250–600) at the Chan Chich acropolis suggests the consolidation of power by the local ruling elite. Located in the northeastern corner of the Upper Plaza, Burial CC-B20 contained the exceptionally well-preserved remains of an elderly adult female within a stone-lined crypt (Crypt 2; cal AD 257–387). The excellent skeletal preservation allowed a comprehensive osteobiography; cranial modification, stable isotopes, and pathological changes to the vertebrae and long bones tell a story of a long and active life. The Early Classic was a transformational era at the city. During the Preclassic period, the Chan Chich rulers consolidated power by manipulating the built environment to create a political place in the Upper Plaza. In the Early Classic, they constructed a vaulted crypt in the Upper Plaza, partially dismantling a Late Preclassic platform in the process. Crypt 1 contained multiple male individuals and markers of rulership, including spondylus shell earflares and a jade bib-helmet pendant. In contrast, the coeval Burial CCB-20 lacked artifacts, but the construction of the crypt was labor-intensive. The interment of the woman in Burial CCB-20 marks a change in the location and body treatment of the ruling lineage interred in this exclusive location. Osteological data are interpreted in concert with contextual information to gain insight into local ideas concerning power and gender, as well as into elite life at Early Classic Chan Chich.

Raman Spectroscopy and STR Analysis of the Elongated Skulls from the Paracas Mummies of Peru

Between 1880-1947, several hundred mummified bodies were excavated from burial sites in the Paracas peninsula of Peru. Each set of recovered remains displayed reduced stature and severe cranial elongation, which led many anthropologists and archaeologists to question the genetic origins of what would be colloquially referred to as the “Cone Head mummies.” Since the discovery of these bodies, suggestions have been made that the mummies’ cranial deformations point to another human species, an unknown hominid species, or even within some groups, an alien. This project sought to employ commonly used forensic techniques, including but not limited to Raman spectroscopy and DNA fingerprinting, to investigate the hair structure and genetic profile from tissue and hair samples derived from the Paracas skulls. Tissue and hair samples were subjected to comparative hair analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and DNA typing using short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. Comparative microscopic hair analysis and Raman spectroscopy of samples collected from the Paracas skull as well as from humans of varying ethnicities revealed very similar hair structures and characteristics that are associated with human hairs. Following DNA extraction and amplification of tissue samples, STR typing results demonstrated allelic profiles similar and consistent with those DNA profiles observed in modern human populations. Moreover, no foreign DNA or unusual patterns/profiles were observed in any of the samples tested. Data generated to this point strongly suggest that the Paracas mummies are of the same species as humans and not from an unknown hominid or alien society.

Assessment of Cranial Deformation Indices by Automatic Smartphone-Based Photogrammetric Modelling

This paper presents research carried out to assess the accuracy of a fully automatic smartphone-based photogrammetric solution (PhotoMeDAS) to obtain a cranial diagnostic based on the 3D head model. The rigorous propagation of the coordinate measurement uncertainty to the infant’s derived cranial deformation indices is demonstrated. The cranial anthropometric parameters and cranial deformation indices that PhotoMeDAS calculates automatically were analysed based on the estimated accuracy and uncertainty. To obtain both accuracy and uncertainty, a dummy head was measured 54 times under different conditions. The same head was measured with a top-of-the-line coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), and the results were used as ground-truth data. It is demonstrated that the PhotoMeDAS 3D models are an average of 1.01 times bigger than the corresponding ground truth, and the uncertainties are around 1 mm. Even assuming uncertainties in the coordinates of up to 1.5 mm, the error in the derived deformation index uncertainties is around 1%. In conclusion, the PhotoMeDAS solution improves the uncertainty obtained in an ordinary paediatric consultation and can be recommended as a tool for doctors to establish an adequate medical diagnosis based on comprehensive cranial deformation indices, which is much more precise and complete than the information obtained by existing analogue devices (measuring tapes and callipers) and easier to use and less expensive than radiological imaging (CT and MRI).

Cranial deformation in the northwestern Caspian Sea region in the Bronze Age: Siberian parallels

AbstractThis research examined the occipitoparietal deformations of the Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia and the similarities between those deformations and head modifications among the population of the Okunev culture in Southern Siberia. The study objects used were 3D models of neurocrania from 41 individuals retrieved from Early Bronze Age graves in the northwestern Caspian Sea region and 64 individuals from the Okunev graves. Analyses, of the skull shape variations, included geometric morphometrics, generalized Procrustes analysis, and principal component analysis with visualization of morphological changes as heat maps. Statistically significant differences between the subgroups were tested by performing dispersion analysis (ANOVA) using the Geomorph package. The samples of Early Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia showed differences between deformed and non‐deformed skulls, as well as differences in the location of the deformed regions in both males and females. The differences between chronological groups turned out to be stronger than the difference between undeformed and deformed skulls in the Okunev samples. The next analysis focused only on the Okunev deformed skulls involving a study and assessment of the differences in the types of deformation between the early and late subgroups. The final analysis demonstrated similarities between the Bronze Age male deformed neurocrania from the northwestern Caspian Sea region and those from the early Okunev culture. The study confirmed the occipitoparietal flattening on the Bronze Age skulls from the southern European part of Russia using geometric morphometrics. This skull deformation finds analogies among deformed male neurocrania from the early chronological horizons of the Okunev culture. The similarity of head modifications in populations from different geographical regions indicates contact between these populations. This is confirmed by archaeological data and nonmetric cranial traits.

A multiplicity of identities: The intersections of cranial vault modification, paleodiet, and sex in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

AbstractObjectivesIntentional cranial modification and diet serve as markers of identity. Here, we explore the intersection between the body and social persona in the San Pedro oases through the complex relationship(s) between these markers and other aspects of society and the individual.MethodsSkeletal remains of 1190 individuals were analyzed for evidence of intentional head shaping and classed as unmodified, tabular, or annular. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone (n = 203) focused on the contribution of C3plants, C4/CAM plants, beans, and terrestrial animal meat per the Bayesian model, FRUITS. Strontium isotope data from dental enamel was considered for more detailed analyses.ResultsCranial modification was present in 520 individuals (43.7%;N = 1190). Modification was significantly more common among females (χ2 = 7.403,p = 0.007). There was no significant difference in presence or type between periods. Average values for the four modeled food groupings differ significantly. There is a significant difference in consumption of C4/CAM plants by those individuals with modified heads consuming more (26.5 ± 9.9% vs. 23.6 ± 9.4%, Wilcoxon signed‐rank test,p < 0.05). In the Middle Period sample, males consume significantly more C4/CAM plants (p < 0.05) and females more C3plants (p < 0.01). Four of those with outlier C4values were analyzed for strontium, yielding values outside the “local” range.ConclusionsAs head shaping is permanently imposed in infancy while dietary patterns are the consequence of ongoing choices and constraints in the social and ecological environment, these markers of identity are not parallel. The numerous points of intersection between these markers and other aspects of identity are highlighted.

Craniovascular variation in four late Holocene human samples from southern South America.

Craniovascular traits in the endocranium (traces of middle meningeal vessels and dural venous sinuses, emissary foramina) provide evidence of vascular anatomy in osteological samples. We investigate the craniovascular variation in four South American samples and the effect of artificial cranial modifications (ACM). CT scans of human adult crania from four archeological samples from southern South America (including skulls with ACM) are used for the analyses. The craniovascular features in the four samples are described, skulls with and without ACM are compared, and additionally, South Americans are compared to a previously analyzed sample of Europeans. Of the four South American samples, the Southern Patagonian differs the most, showing the most distinct cranial dimensions, no ACM, and larger diameters of the emissary foramina. Unlike previous studies, we did not find any major differences in craniovascular features between modified and non-modified skulls, except that the skulls with ACM present somewhat smaller foramina. South Americans significantly differed from Europeans, especially in the anteroposterior dominance of the middle meningeal artery, in the pattern of sinus confluence, in the occurrence of enlarged occipito-marginal sinuses, and in foramina frequencies and diameters. Craniovascular morphology is not affected by the cranial size, even in skulls with ACM, indicating a minor or null influence of structural topological factors. Concerning the samples from distinct geographic and climatic environments, it must be evaluated whether the craniovascular morphogenesis might be partially influenced by specific functions possibly associated with thermoregulation, intracranial pressure, and the maintenance of intracranial homeostasis.

Женские погребения IV в. до н. э. со змеями из могильника у с. Лятошинка

Introduction. The article presents the results of the study of two burials of the 4th century BC with snakes from the Lyatoshinka burial ground in the Volgograd Transvolga region. Methods and materials. In the process of investigation, an interdisciplinary approach was used with the inclusion of a typological method, the method of analogies and cross-dating, methods of craniological research (craniometry and cranioscopy), as well as methods for analyzing skulls pathological states. Ethnographic data were used to draw conclusions about semantics. The sources of the study are the paired burials 8 and 10 of kurgan 5 of the Lyatoshinka burial ground and three female skulls. Analysis. As a result of studying the funeral rite and elements of material culture, both burials were linked to the 4th century BC. The analysis of the anthropological material makes it possible to attribute the craniological type of women to the type of ancient Eastern Caucasoids, which is widely represented in the synchronous materials of the Southern Urals and the Lower Volga region. The morphological feature of this skull group is the presence of traces of deliberate fronto-occipital cranial deformation. The pathological state study of the skulls revealed that all the three women had chronic periodontal disease and severe tooth wear. Results and their discussion. The comprehensive analysis of the features of the funeral rite and grave goods, as well as the presence of traces of artificial cranial deformation, which at that time is very rare, suggests the lifetime function of these three women as female clergy.

Helmet therapy for positional cranial deformations; a 5-year follow-up study

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of helmet therapy in its use for positional cranial deformation, such as plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, by evaluating head shapes in children with a 5-year interval. These children were included at a neonatal age, with a deviating cranial shape classified as positional deformation, and received different forms of therapy, varying from none to physical and helmet therapy combined. Cranial shape was measured before and after therapy, using plagiocephalometry. Both positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly decrease significantly in prevalence and severity over time (P = 0.031 and P < 0.001, respectively), with average relative reductions of 194.5% in ODDI (P = 0.001) and of 878.4% in CPI (P < 0.001). Although the decrease in ODDI and CPI did not significantly vary between treatment methods, ODDI is shown to significantly decrease in case of therapy opposed to no therapy, especially if treatment consists of both physical therapy and helmet therapy (P < 0.001). The long-term effects of therapy are therefore beneficial in the treatment of positional plagiocephaly and will increase the reduction in ODDI, especially in case of both physical and helmet therapy.

Symptomatic enophthalmos due to sphenoid wing dysplasia appearing over 12 years in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1: a case report and literature review

Sphenoid wing dysplasia (SWD) is a common orbital complication of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). However, enophthalmos associated with SWD is extremely rare, and details of its natural history are unclear. We present the case of a 14-year-old boy with an early childhood diagnosis of NF1 presenting with left blepharophimosis and enophthalmos for several months. Imaging demonstrated enlargement of the left lateral SWD, progression of the posteromedial deviation of the orbital contents, and sphenoid/ethmoid sinus deformation due to left temporal lobe compression over 12 years. Two characteristic changes were revealed on imaging: enlargement of the middle cranial fossa and deformation of the sphenoid/ethmoid sinuses. The orbital contents were compressed by the intracranial pressure of the temporal lobe and were displaced posteromedially into the space created by the deformed sphenoid/ethmoid sinuses. Because orbital symptoms can gradually become apparent over years with the progression of SWD and skeletal growth, long-term follow-up of orbital symptoms is recommended in patients with NF1.

Acute toxicity and teratogenicity of carbaryl (carbamates), tebufenpyrad (pyrazoles), cypermethrin and permethrin (pyrethroids) on the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L, 1758) early life stages.

The toxicity of carbaryl, tebufenpyrad, cypermethrin and permethrin was evaluated in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax during the embryonic and larval development using six different concentrations per chemical. The order of the toxicity effectiveness was carbaryl > tebufenpyrad > cypermethrin > permethrin. The larvae were more sensitive to all tested chemicals than embryos. The LC50 of carbaryl, tebufenpyrad, cypermethrin and permethrin was determined as 13.88, 43.96, 92 and 142ppm and 9.27, 25.67, 48.4 and 72.7ppm in embryo and larvae, respectively. Furthermore, the tested pesticides exhibited teratogenic effects on D. labrax embryo-larval stages. The observed malformations were coagulation, no spherical egg, unhatched egg, pericardial oedemata, yolk oedemata, lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, no eye, cranial deformation and body atrophy. Malformations were induced with 0.5ppm carbaryl, 10ppm tebufenpyrad and 50ppm cypermethrin and permethrin; the highest rates of malformation were noted with 16ppm carbaryl, 160ppm tebufenpyrad, 400ppm cypermethrin and 400ppm permethrin as 34.5%, 28%, 17.5% and 16%, respectively. A positive correlation between the incidence of malformation and the increase of pesticide concentration was established.

A 10 ka intentionally deformed human skull from Northeast Asia

AbstractThe oldest‐known undoubted cultural practices of intentional cranial deformation (ICD, also known as artificial cranial modification) appeared in the Middle East, Australia, and Northeast China in the terminal Pleistocene‐early Holocene populations. Here, we report an ICD calvarium fossil (Songhuajiang II) discovered from an underwater sand mining site near Harbin City in Northeast China. With a calibrated accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon age of 11,095–10,745 BP, the fossil calvarium is among the oldest‐known ICD records in the world. A combination of pronounced superciliary arches, salient temporal lines, and relatively round and dull supraorbital margin, together with moderately wide interorbital space, flat glabella region without infraglabellar notch, flat and small zygomatic trigon, round and inclined superior‐lateral orbital margin, and largely closed sutures, suggests that Songhuajiang II skull belonged to a middle‐aged Asian man. The man has flat frontal and occipital bone, conical posterior parietal region, and a circular depression posterior to the coronal suture, and more subdivisions and many crenulated terminal branches on the anterior branch of the middle meningeal vessels. These features are typical for the tabular deformation methodology of ICD. The discovery, together with previously known ICD records (Songhuajiang I, Qianguo Man Qingshantou 1, and Djalai‐Nor cranium), suggests that the ICD cultural practice has a long and continuous history in Northeast Asia.

Spherical harmonics to quantify cranial asymmetry in deformational plagiocephaly

Cranial deformation and deformational plagiocephaly (DP) in particular affect an important percentage of infants. The assessment and diagnosis of the deformation are commonly carried by manual measurements that provide low interuser accuracy. Another approach is the use of three-dimensional (3D) models. Nevertheless, in most cases, deformation measurements are carried out manually on the 3D model. It is necessary to develop methodologies for the detection of DP that are automatic, accurate and take profit on the high quantity of information of the 3D models. Spherical harmonics are proposed as a new methodology to identify DP from head 3D models. The ideal fitted ellipsoid for each head is computed and the orthogonal distances between head and ellipsoid are obtained. Finally, the distances are modelled using spherical harmonics. Spherical harmonic coefficients of degree 2 and order − 2 are identified as the correct ones to represent the asymmetry characteristic of DP. The obtained coefficient is compared to other anthropometric deformation indexes, such as Asymmetry Index, Oblique Cranial Length Ratio, Posterior Asymmetry Index and Anterior Asymmetry Index. The coefficient of degree 2 and order − 2 with a maximum degree of 4 is found to provide better results than the commonly computed anthropometric indexes in the detection of DP.

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

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.

Artificial cranial deformation of the head among early Okunev people

Artificial cranial deformation of the head among early Okunev people

Contribution of the calvaria bones thickness arrangements to the diagnosis and the differentiation of artificial cranial modifications in pre-Hispanic West Mesoamerican populations

Contribution of the calvaria bones thickness arrangements to the diagnosis and the differentiation of artificial cranial modifications in pre-Hispanic West Mesoamerican populations

Intentional cranial modification as a marker of identity in Paracas Cavernas, South-Central Coast of Peru

Intentional cranial modification (ICM) was a cultural practice followed by many ancient groups across the world with considerable geographic and temporal variability. Since the pioneering descriptions of the ICM in the Paracas Peninsula skulls (South-Central Coast of Peru), studies have suggested the association between the type of ICM and sex. Thus, the current study explores whether the types of ICM during the Paracas Cavernas period (550–200 cal BC) in Cerro Colorado were signs of identity based on sex, social status, or kinship. The cranial shape of 159 individuals (137 adults and 22 non-adults) was described and classified using non-metric parameters. The results demonstrate that nearly all individuals (98%) presented with ICM. Although Tabular Erect was the most frequent type of ICM in the entire sample (60%), the Bilobate type was significantly more frequent in females (34%) than in males (19%). All ICM types are evenly distributed among the status groups without obvious patterns of ICM frequency among burial spaces. To explain the findings, we discuss the quadripartition principle, a notion of Andean cosmology related to gender perception, which may have contributed to defining the shapes of heads during the Paracas Cavernas period.

Genesis of Artificially Deformed Early Medieval Skulls Discovered at Samtavro Cemetery and Their Historical Significance

The work ‘Genesis of Artificially Deformed Early Medieval Skulls Discovered at Samtavro Cemetery and Their Historical Significance’ looks at early medieval regular and artificially deformed skulls obtained from Samtavro cemetery and preserved at the Anthropological Research Laboratory of the History and Ethnology Institute of the Tbilisi State University. Apart from the skulls, the work deals with the catalogue of the craniological collection and individual data for every skull preserved in this institution. The work also relies on the information of the records kept in the Georgian National Museum, based on which knowledge about early medieval types of graves, burial rites and artifacts of Samtavro cemetery has been obtained. The work looks at the types of cranial deformation, gender and age structure of the buried, physiological stress markers and anomaly frequencies among the population of this period. It also outlines distribution of the inventory among the deformed and non-deformed skulls in order to estimate whether the deformed ones belonged to the upper class society. Charts are compiled based on distribution of deformed and non-deformed skulls obtained from Samtavro cemetery according to gender and age, which provides a clear picture in respect to average life expectancy among the individuals with deformed and non-deformed skulls. In order to find the reason for the deformation, historical sources are considered and final explanation for why the residents of Mtskheta practiced artificial deformation of skulls is provided.

Comparative morphology of the dormouse skull and the influence of size and ecology.

Dormice are widely dispersed across various ecosystems in Eurasia and Africa and among the oldest extant rodent lineages. Despite distinct morphological variation to be present between groups, comprehensive morphometrical studies on the dormouse skull are limited. Here, the form of eight out of the nine extant dormouse genera was analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics and linear biomechanical measurements, providing a better understanding of the overall morphological variation present within Gliridae. Species-, genus- and family-specific morphological trends in both the size and shape of the cranium and mandible are linked with specific habitats and feeding strategies. Smaller dormice show adaptations to a more arboreal lifestyle such as a relatively enlarged braincase and an inferiorly reoriented foramen magnum. Larger dormice show cranial modifications, including clear flattening of the skull and a more posteriorly positioned foramen magnum, hinting towards a more rupicolous lifestyle. Furthermore, specimens inhabiting arid areas appear to have more inflated auditory bullae, whereas other variable features, such as the length of the incisive foramen, were not associated with either size changes or climatic variables. Lastly, more robust and horizontally orientated zygomatic arches as well as increased robusticity of the molar row appear to be linked with herbivory in dormice, whereas thinner arches and small concave molars are seen in more insectivorous species. This study reveals clear convergent adaptations between dormouse species and results in a better understanding of ecological drivers underpinning the morphological divergence present within Gliridae.

A new, remarkably preserved, enantiornithine bird from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan (central China) and convergent evolution between enantiornithines and modern birds

AbstractA new enantiornithine bird is described on the basis of a well preserved partial skeleton from the Upper Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan Province (central China). It provides new evidence about the osteology of Late Cretaceous enantiornithines, which are mainly known from isolated bones; in contrast, Early Cretaceous forms are often represented by complete skeletons. While the postcranial skeleton shows the usual distinctive characters of enantiornithines, the skull displays several features, including confluence of the antorbital fenestra and the orbit and loss of the postorbital, evolved convergently with modern birds. Although some enantiornithines retained primitive cranial morphologies into the latest Cretaceous Period, at least one lineage evolved cranial modifications that parallel those in modern birds.