Cranial modification and the shapes of heads across the Andes

Torres‐Rouff, Christina

doi:10.1016/j.ijpp.2019.06.007

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 61 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…4b), which preserves a strong signature of the population lineage. Additionally, the observed shape variation in the cranial vault would suggest cultural patterns of cranial modifications possibly associated with ethnic identity 59,60 , where the migrants present a wider range of cranial modifications in the frontal and occipital bones (Fig. 4c), despite their remarkable dietary and geographic homogeneity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes

Barberena

Menéndez

Roux

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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We present isotopic and morphometric evidence suggesting the migration of farmers in the southern Andes in the period AD 1270–1420, leading up to the Inka conquest occurring ~ AD 1400. This is based on the interdisciplinary study of human remains from archaeological cemeteries in the Andean Uspallata Valley (Argentina), located in the southern frontier of the Inka Empire. The studied samples span AD 800–1500, encompassing the highly dynamic Late Intermediate Period and culminating with the imperial expansion. Our research combines a macro-regional study of human paleomobility and migration based on a new strontium isoscape across the Andes that allows identifying locals and migrants, a geometric morphometric analysis of cranio-facial morphology suggesting separate ancestral lineages, and a paleodietary reconstruction based on stable isotopes showing that the migrants had diets exceptionally high in C4 plants and largely based on maize agriculture. Significantly, this migration influx occurred during a period of regional demographic increase and would have been part of a widespread period of change in settlement patterns and population movements that preceded the Inka expansion. These processes increased local social diversity and may have been subsequently utilized by the Inka to channel interaction with the local societies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes

Barberena

Menéndez

Roux

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Both anthropological (Lekovic et al, 2007) and ethnohistorical (de las Casas, 1875) sources have not reported any obvious evidence of cognitive side effects of head‐shaping. Except for a few documented events (Dingwall, 1931; Mendonça de Souza et al, 2008), modeling practices rarely had fatal consequences among individuals (Torres‐Rouf, 2020). Nevertheless, further systematic analysis is needed to understand the potentially harmful impact of ACM on the craniovascular system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ethnohistorical record (Dingwall, 1931) and recent research mention the potential health risk involved in ACM (Lekovic, Baker, Lekovic, & Preul, 2007; Mendonça de Souza, Reinhard, & Lessa, 2008). Side effects, like secondary cranial asymmetry, circulatory problems, necrosis, and infections, could result from the mechanical pressure exerted during the head shaping, the lack of hygiene, blood, and air circulation (Boman, Froment, & Charlier, 2016; Torres‐Rouf, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing craniovascular traits in artificially modified pre‐Columbian crania from Cuba, the largest Caribbean archipelago

Lázaro

2020

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The impressions left by the vascular system on the surface of the skull, like those of the middle meningeal vessels, the dural venous sinuses, and the emissary veins, are a unique source of vascular and anatomical evidence when working with osteological collections, as is the case with bioarchaeological, forensic, and paleoanthropological investigations. Craniovascular features have been investigated in multiple modern human populations; however, no information is available on their analysis in artificially modified pre‐Hispanic Caribbean skulls. To shed light on this matter, this report provides a reference for the prevalence, characterization, and distribution of craniovascular traits using a collection of fronto‐occipital tabular oblique artificially shaped pre‐Columbian crania from Cuba (the largest archipelago in the Caribbean) as a case study. Results suggest that changes produced by intentional head‐shaping may have affected the pattern and direction of endocranial vascular structures, whereas emissary foramina placed in less‐affected areas appear to be less influenced by changes in cranial morphology. Future work will investigate the consequences of artificial modification on the cranial and endocranial vascular systems and compare them with unmodified pre‐Columbian specimens. Also, the effects of head shaping in endocranial thermoregulation should be explored in the future. Providing new knowledge about the prevalence and variation of the craniovascular traits may be useful not only in research based on osteoarcheological collections but also in medicine.

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“…In the Andes broadly, as well as in the Atacameño oases more specifically, cranial modification is understood to serve as a marker of identity (e.g., Andrushko, 2021; Blom, 2005; Torres‐Rouff, 2020; Velasco, 2018). The documented patterns in the Atacameño oases indicate individual and cemetery‐level variation, as well as changes over the large spans of time the oases have been occupied (Torres‐Rouff, 2007).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Head shaping operates within cultural constraints but is widely seen in the prehistoric world. With the practice of head shaping, there are aspects of collective identity imbued not only in the visible signifier (the reshaped head), but also in the customs used to create specific head shapes during infancy or, indeed, in the decision to abstain from modifying the head (e.g., Duncan & Vail, 2018; Torres‐Rouff, 2020). Similarly, social identities are enmeshed with food preparation and consumption practices and in food choices themselves (e.g., Curet & Pestle, 2010; Hastorf, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A multiplicity of identities: The intersections of cranial vault modification, paleodiet, and sex in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Torres‐Rouff

Knudson

Pestle

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives Intentional cranial modification and diet serve as markers of identity. Here, we explore the intersection between the body and social persona in the San Pedro oases through the complex relationship(s) between these markers and other aspects of society and the individual. Methods Skeletal remains of 1190 individuals were analyzed for evidence of intentional head shaping and classed as unmodified, tabular, or annular. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of bone (n = 203) focused on the contribution of C3 plants, C4/CAM plants, beans, and terrestrial animal meat per the Bayesian model, FRUITS. Strontium isotope data from dental enamel was considered for more detailed analyses. Results Cranial modification was present in 520 individuals (43.7%; N = 1190). Modification was significantly more common among females (χ2 = 7.403, p = 0.007). There was no significant difference in presence or type between periods. Average values for the four modeled food groupings differ significantly. There is a significant difference in consumption of C4/CAM plants by those individuals with modified heads consuming more (26.5 ± 9.9% vs. 23.6 ± 9.4%, Wilcoxon signed‐rank test, p < 0.05). In the Middle Period sample, males consume significantly more C4/CAM plants (p < 0.05) and females more C3 plants (p < 0.01). Four of those with outlier C4 values were analyzed for strontium, yielding values outside the “local” range. Conclusions As head shaping is permanently imposed in infancy while dietary patterns are the consequence of ongoing choices and constraints in the social and ecological environment, these markers of identity are not parallel. The numerous points of intersection between these markers and other aspects of identity are highlighted.

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Cranial modification and the shapes of heads across the Andes

Cited by 11 publications

References 61 publications

Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes

Multi-isotopic and morphometric evidence for the migration of farmers leading up to the Inka conquest of the southern Andes

Tracing craniovascular traits in artificially modified pre‐Columbian crania from Cuba, the largest Caribbean archipelago

A multiplicity of identities: The intersections of cranial vault modification, paleodiet, and sex in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

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