Ancient Mystery Unearthed: 12,500-Year-Old Skull Reveals Europe’s Earliest Cranial Modification—What Secrets Does It Hold?
Imagine stumbling upon a skull that’s been rocking an elongated look for over 12,000 years—long before Instagram filters or trendy fashion statements. Yep, tucked away in Italy’s Arene Candide Cave alongside a ritualistic ensemble of Stone Age skeletons, this oddly shaped noggin is now shaking up our understanding of ancient body modifications in Europe. Was this prehistoric head-shaping a bold identity statement, some form of ancient social branding, or just a really committed fashion choice? Scientists cracked open this bony mystery using modern tech, revealing that the weird shape wasn’t by accident but a deliberate cranial makeover performed during infancy. It makes you wonder—how many other “ancient influencers” were out there, marking their crew with distinctive skulls? Buckle up, because the story of the AC12 skull might just rewrite what we thought about the origins of body art in Europe. LEARN MORE
This elongated skull was unearthed alongside dozens of Stone Age skeletons arranged in a ritualistic tableau inside Italy’s Arene Candide Cave.
T. Mori et al./Scientific ReportsA digital reconstruction of the elongated skull originally found in the 1940s in northern Italy’s Arene Candide Cave.
A 12,500-year-old skull discovered in Italy in the 1940s may be the earliest example of artificial cranial modification (ACM) in European history, according to a new study.
ACM is a form of body modification in which pressure is applied to an infant’s head as it grows, usually by binding the skull with fabric or a board, in order to create an elongated shape. Recent research on a skull discovered inside a cave along the northwestern coast of Italy has shed new light on how far back ACM was practiced in Europe.
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