The Bizarre History Of People Reshaping Their Heads
Skull elongation was an unusual practice
Cranial deformation is believed to have existed for years and was common amongst certain groups of people. However, archaeologists do not believe that it originated from just one place.
Otherwise known as head shaping, head flattening, head binding or skull elongation, cranial deformation is a form of permanent body alteration that involves intentionally modifying or altering the shape of an individual’s skull.
It was a widespread practice
Cranial deformation has spanned across different times and geographical locations. On the mental floss website, Lucius Drusus notes that it is a widespread practice that has been “recorded on nearly every continent in many cultures over tens of thousands of years.”
Indeed, scientists have found evidence of cranial deformation amongst the Australian aborigines and it dates back to about 30,000 years ago. The Maya, Inca and some other North American natives are also familiar with this practice.
In ancient Chinese too, people were known to have practised skull enlargement over 12,000 years ago. In fact, the Chinese were discovered to be the oldest group to have engaged in the modification of their skulls.
