Crania

Archaeological excavations at Göbekli Tepe, a transitional Neolithic site in southeast Turkey, have revealed the earliest megalithic ritual architecture with characteristic T-shaped pillars. Although human burials are still absent from the site, a number of fragmented human bones have been recovered from fill deposits of buildings and from adjacent areas. We focus on three partially preserved human skulls, all of which carry artificial modifications of a type so far unknown from contemporaneous sites and the ethnographic record. As such, modified skull fragments from Göbekli Tepe could indicate a new, previously undocumented variation of skull cult in the Early Neolithic of Anatolia and the Levant.

Few items in the archaeological record capture the imagination more than human heads separated from their bodies. Such items are sometimes assumed to indicate warfare practices, where “trophy heads” display power and fighting prowess. Other times, they are interpreted as representing ancestor veneration. Isolated crania are not uncommon in the Early period (ca. 4500–2500 B.P.) in Central California. Some anthropologists interpret them as trophy heads, but isotopie analyses at CA-CCO-548 suggest an alternative interpretation. Strontium isotope analyses on one modified cranium produced values consistent with local individuals, and both headless burials and people buried with extra skulls overlap in carbon and nitrogen isotopes. Further, teeth from two individuals who were buried with extra skulls suggest both were weaned at early ages (before age 2), much earlier than other individuals at the site. Together with contextual information, we argue that the isotopie data are more consiste...

Archaeological and genetic research has demonstrated that the Pacific Coast was a key route in the early colonization of South America. Research examining South American skeletons >8000 cal BP has revealed differences in cranial morphology between early and late Holocene populations, which may reflect distinct migration events and/or populations. However, genetic, cultural, and some skeletal data contradict this model. Given these discrepancies, this study examines ∼9000 years of prehistory to test the hypothesis that Early skeletons have a distinct cranial morphology from later skeletons. Using 3D digital models, craniofacial landmarks, and geometric morphometric analyses, we compared Early Holocene crania (n = 4) to later Chilean samples (n = 90) frequently absent in continental assessments of craniofacial variation. PCA, Mahalanobis distances, posterior and typicality probabilities were used to examine variation. Two of the earliest skeletons from northern Chile show clear aff...

The taxonomy of Gerbillus, the most speciose gerbil genus, is highly debated. Of particular contention is the relationship of Dipodillus to Gerbillus; some consider it to be a closely related genus, while others synonymize it with Gerbillus—either with or without recognizing it as a subgenus. The main objective of this study is to test the validity of common taxonomic groupings within the Gerbillus-Dipodillus species complex, which was achieved by using geometric morphometrics to examine cranial and mandibular variation in 34 out of the 52 Gerbillus-Dipodillus species. Craniomandibular size and shape were highly correlated, indicating strong allometric patterns in shape variation. The common taxonomic groups were significantly different in craniomandibular size and shape, yet they did overlap considerably in morphospace. A notable exception was the extreme divergence of Monodia (G. mauritaniae) from all other species in the occlusal view of the mandible. Morphospace overlap is likely a consequence of both phylogenetic history and environmental adaptation. Only the ventral cranium was associated with climate, particularly in areas related to resource acquisition. Geographic distance was not significantly associated with craniomandibular morphometric distance, and the groups overlapped greatly in their geographic range. Cranial and mandibular regions differed in discrimination power—the ventral cranium had among the highest, while the dorsal cranium and the occlusal mandible had the lowest. Craniomandibular regions varied in association with climate, phylogeny, and size—previous studies suggest this difference may be a consequence of different genetic controls for shape variation.

The removal of crania from burials, their ritual use and their disposal, generally in cranial caches, are the most particular characteristics of the funerary ritual in the transition to the Neolithic in the Near East. Despite the importance of this ritual, detailed studies of cranial caches are rare. This funerary ritual has traditionally been interpreted as a form of ancestor-veneration. However, this study of the cranial caches found at the site of Tell Qarassa North, South Syria, dated in the second half of the ninth millennium BC, questions this interpretation. The 12 crania, found in two groups arranged in two circles on the floor of a room, belonged to male individuals, apart from one child and one preadolescent. In 10 of the 11 cases, the facial skeletons were deliberately mutilated. In the context of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, when the symbolism of the human face played a vital role in ritual practice, this mutilation of the facial skeleton could be interpreted as an act of hostility. In the absence of indicators of social stratification or signs of violence that might indicate more coercive forms of society, the veneration of ancestors has been explained as a mechanism for social cohesion, which would have been necessary in a context of rapid growth in the population of settlements. However, data on the negative nature of some funerary rites, of punishment or indifference rather than veneration, should make us question an over-idealized view of the first Neolithic societies.