15 February, 2018 - 23:00 ashley cowie
Elongated Skulls Increased Kudos in Ancient Peru
Archaeologists dig them up all over the ancient world from Egypt to Peru, and now, these curious elongated skulls are believed to have been “status symbols,†according to a recent paper in Current Anthropology . The ruling elite in parts of ancient South America artificially extended their skulls to "bind communities together with a collective identity,†according to Bioarchaeologist Matthew Velasco of Cornell University.
Although cranial deformation is generally associated with the Inca civilization, more than half a century before they came to dominate the west coast of the Americas “cranial deformation†or “skull binding†was developed by the Collagua people. In southern Peru the Colca River runs for about 450 kilometers before flowing into the Pacific Ocean and it was home of the Collaguas and the Cavanas.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/elongated-skulls-increased-kudos-ancient-peru-009598
