Artificial cranial deformation refers to the deliberate and permanent alteration of the human skull’s shape. This practice was initiated during infancy, a period when the skull bones are still pliable and unfused, allowing for significant modification. Through external forces, the natural growth pattern of the cranium was intentionally redirected. This body modification was a widespread cultural phenomenon across various societies throughout history.
The Practice of Head Shaping
The methods used to achieve artificial cranial deformation involved applying sustained pressure to an infant’s developing skull. One common technique was cradleboarding, where the infant’s head was positioned between two flat surfaces, such as wooden boards, to flatten the frontal and occipital bones. This method resulted in a flattened appearance.
Alternatively, tightly wound cloth bandages or other binding materials were wrapped around the head to achieve different contours. These bindings could create an elongated or conical shape. The process began around one month after birth and continued for months or years until the desired shape was achieved. The resulting skull forms varied, ranging from flattened front-to-back to elongated or conical shapes.
Cultural Significance and Purpose
The motivations behind artificial cranial deformation were diverse, deeply rooted in the social, aesthetic, and spiritual beliefs of the societies that practiced it. A prominent reason was to signify social status or nobility within a community. For instance, certain elongated head shapes denoted high-ranking individuals or priestly classes in Eurasian cultures like the Huns and Central Asian tribes.
The practice also served as a powerful marker of group identity, distinguishing members of a specific community from neighboring populations. In societies such as the Tiwanaku, distinct cranial alterations corresponded to specific social groups, castes, or lineages. This visual differentiation reinforced communal bonds.
Beyond social stratification, aesthetic ideals played a significant role, with certain head shapes considered beautiful or desirable. Some cultures, including those in pre-colonial Southeast Asia and among the Maya, viewed flattened foreheads or high, pointed heads as attractive features. Spiritual beliefs influenced the practice, with elongated skulls associated with heightened intelligence or a closer connection to the spirit world.
Global and Historical Prevalence
Artificial cranial deformation was a geographically widespread and historically enduring practice, appearing across continents and millennia. In the Americas, it was prevalent in various pre-Columbian cultures, including the Paracas and Nazca civilizations in ancient Peru, dating from around 750 B.C. to A.D. 600. The Maya in Mesoamerica engaged in head shaping. Further north, indigenous groups such as the Apache, Mohave, Yuma, and Pueblo Indians in the southwestern United States practiced cranial modification.
Across Eurasia, evidence of head shaping spans from ancient times into more recent history. The Huns and Alans, originating in Central Asia, introduced the practice to parts of Europe during Late Antiquity, influencing Germanic tribes like the Gepids and Ostrogoths. While some ancient Egyptians exhibited naturally elongated skulls, intentional deformation was observed. In Europe, the “Toulouse deformity” persisted in parts of France until the early 20th century.
The practice was also documented among the Mangbetu people in Africa, where head binding continued until the 1950s. In Oceania, cultures in Vanuatu and New Britain (Papua New Guinea) maintained traditions of head shaping. The earliest examples of intentional skull shaping date back over ten thousand years to sites like Shanidar Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Health and Neurological Implications
Studies of ancient skulls indicate that while the shape of the cranium was significantly altered, brain volume remained unchanged. The human brain is remarkably adaptable, and in cases of artificial cranial deformation, it simply grew to fit the modified internal contours of the skull. However, the long-term biological consequences of such practices have been a subject of scientific inquiry.
Despite brain volume preservation, research suggests health issues arise from the altered skull shape. These include changes in the cranial base, which affect the alignment of facial structures and lead to dental malocclusion. Pressure on certain brain areas may lead to cognitive impairments, such as issues with concentration, memory, or motor skills. Changes in head shape alter the head’s center of mass, causing strain on neck muscles and affecting posture.
In modern medicine, therapeutic helmets are used to correct positional deformities in infants, such as plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head) or brachycephaly (overall flattened head). These helmets apply gentle, consistent pressure to redirect skull growth, allowing flattened areas to round out as the infant’s head naturally expands. This contemporary intervention, performed during the same malleable period of infancy, aims to restore a more typical head shape for health and aesthetic reasons, similar to historical head shaping.