2023-08-16 20:00:00
In 1957, strangely flattened skulls were discovered on this Japanese island. Recent analyzes finally make it possible to understand the origin of these mysterious deformations.
In some pre-Columbian civilizations, such as that of the Paracas between the 12th and 15th centuries, it was customary to bandage the skulls of babies to give them an elongated shape, thus demonstrating membership of an elite. Such practices emerged on several continents, at different times, but the oldest traces would be Asian. Thus in Japan, among the Hirota people (3rd-7th century AD), a centuries-old tradition consisted of flattening the skull of young individuals. The motivations behind this practice are still unclear but according to a new study published in PlosOne, these cranial modifications would obviously be the signature of a collective identity.
It was in 1957 that archaeologists first excavated the Hirota site on the island of Tanegashima, in southern Japan, unearthing several funerary remains. The graves contain many artifacts, many decorated with shells and pearls. So much evidence…
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