#head binding

Artificial cranial deformation, or head binding, is a practice seen in ancient civilizations and is still used today to artificially change the shape of a baby’s head. When a baby is born the cranium consists of 5 bones that fuse together to form the fully formed cranium seen in adults. Therefore, during infancy it is possible to change the shape of the cranium because it is more flexible. This can be seen in South America, where the flattened shape is more pronounced and although not confirmed, some evidence exists from Ancient Egypt where a more oblong appearance is more pronounced. Head binding is still used today by parents to ensure their babies have a perfectly round head by using a special helmet.

Skull of the “Woman of Tlailotlacan”, found near the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacán.  She was 35-40 years old when she died, and her skull had been artificially elongated.  She has a false tooth made of serpentine, and her top two teeth are encrusted in pyrite.  She lived about 1,600 years ago

It is unlikely that this woman was a native of Teotihuacán, however – elongated skulls are rarely found there, but they were common among the Maya, further south.  And their nobility had a custom of inserting piece of jade or iron pyrite into their teeth, which is similar.

The Cohuna Skull was discovered in Victoria (Australia) in 1925, and was initially assumed to be of Homo erectus.  However, it actually belongs to a Homo sapiens whose skull was reshaped while they were a baby.  It is the earliest definite example of deliberate skull binding in Homo sapiens, from about 10,000 years ago.

Stylish deformities: The ways that fashion has flattened, bent, and broken bones.

Artificial cranial deformation, also known as head flattening or head binding, is a form of cranial modification in which the frontal and the occipital bones are intentionally flattened and the cranial vault is lengthened using cloth or wood.  Cranial deformation was practiced throughout Europe, Asia, and South America.

People underwent head flattening for many reasons: it was visually appealing, was a sign of status, or because it was believe a certain head shape was good for the child.  The process was started when an infant was newborn all the way up to 6 months old, because this was when the bones are malleable because they are growing and fusing.  The binding could take years until the desired shape was achieved.