Trophy Skulls

This study examines a deposit (Burial II-18; Lots II-18 to II-20) with highly processed human remains from Cerro de las Mesas, Veracruz, Mexico, dated to Epi-Olmec times (400 BCE - 300 CE). In this interdisciplinary study, we combine bioarchaeology, taphonomy, and archaeometry: the combined evidence identifies at least four individuals in a single context, bearing a spectrum of postmortem ritual manipulation. These include processing marks on fresh bone, red pigmentation, and bone manufacturing products such as one among two facial skull masks featuring an engraved emblem surrounding glabella (between the eyebrows). Radiocarbon dating (361–178 BCE and 73–226 CE) indicates that the remains date to over at least three centuries, while concurring in a single event. The individuals include a robust male adult (30–40 years) with dental modifications, an adolescent male with cranial modeling and a pigmented facial mask, an adult with pyrite dental inlays, and a child (2–4 years) displaying cut marks. The red pigments, identified as cinnabar and hematite, suggest symbolic ties to fertility rituals, sacrifice, and deities linked to the ballgame. Associated artifacts like yoke, shells, and ceramic figurines and recipients, further support this interpretation. The deposit, located at the base of a monumental platform, centrally located in the compound, points to architectural consecration practices, likely involving sacrificial rites and calendar transitioning. Considered in the Mesoamerican context, this case study provides new insights into early ritual complexity, emphasizing the significance of postmortem body processing already within the cultural repertoire of Epi-Olmec society.

Ilias Anagnostakis,The Balkan  paroinia  or paranoia. The intoxication of war and the  drinking skull cup of Krum/  La paroinia balkanique : l’ivresse de la guerre et la coupe de Krum, in  Τέχνη και τεχνική στα αμπέλια και τους οινεώνες της Β. Ελλάδος, 9o Τριήμερο εργασίας, Αδριανή Δράμας, 25-27 Ιουνίου 1999, Athens 2002, p. 138-167, (in Greek with French summary, p. 349-350).

Η παροινία των Βαλκανίων: Η μέθη του πολέμου και το ποτήρι του Κρούμου, in Τέχνη και τεχνική στα αμπέλια και τους οινεώνες της Β. Ελλάδος, 9o Τριήμερο εργασίας, Αδριανή Δράμας, 25-27 Ιουνίου 1999, Athens 2002, p. 138-167,  (in Greek with French summary, p. 349-350).

The subject of this study was, to some extent, a choice of emotional charge based on recent events in the Balkans and Yugoslavia at the end of the second millennium, as well as the existing paranoia, intoxication, and irrationality. The desire for power, the intoxication of war, the violent displacements and blood that flowed from the lairs of the god of the modern  American and  nowdays Trump war machine inevitably recall  some similar Byzantine and primarily Balkan events. A Byzantine scholar might describe this warlike Trump irrationality as paroinia, or extreme intoxication, and the supposed humanitarian intervention as a destructive invasion in a productive vineyard.
During the reign of Nikephoros I and Krumus of the Bulgarians, the empire's vineyard attempts to transplant its vines to the Balkans. According to the sources, the Byzantine warlords protect the Byzantine vineyard, plunder, crush their enemies like grapes, destroy the foreign vineyard/state, and enjoy the must of a conflict in which even their horses become intoxicated by the sweet wine of war. Thus, continuing an ancient perception and practice, the Byzantines believe that a war, like the first and model of Troy, always requires wine for strength and animation, while the state requires the power of the vineyard's vast vegetation and the culture of its products.
However, in a way that is unprecedented for mediaeval matters, the issue of vineyard destruction, or the complete uprooting of vines from a Balkan region, is emphasised as a historical event rather than a symbol. And this uprooting is nothing more than a failed attempt to uproot the Greek, Roman, and Christian wine-making cultures, to subjugate a population and convert it to customs unrelated to wine, in accordance with the dictates of a new barbaric anti-Byzantine domination.
Therefore, this paper argues that the legend of the uprooting of vineyards and the annihilation of the Avars due, among other things, to wine drinking, the story  of imperial Byzantine skull cup, and Krumus' banquet with the subjugated rulers do not provide us with evidence about the peoples they purport to concern, but rather provide us with more information about the Byzantines themselves, from whom they have been only transmitted down to us.
Although this narrative is seen as an Avar tragedy and a Bulgarian sober mindset, the Byzantines who recorded it had an uncertain attitude towards vineyards and wine usage, as well as a complete disregard for drunkenness. The narrative constitutes an explosive libel against Nikephoros, who is detested by the monks, and an excessively austere, ascetic attitude to wine culture.
Wine is a cosmic weapon, and its acquisition, usage, and administration by unfettered power or individual will is as lethal as a bomb in all directions. The conflict between Nikephoros and Krum, therefore, lends itself to many readings from the perspective of wine semiology, either as a destruction or a claim of the vineyard-state by the wine-making power, or as an adoption of the wine culture in its Christian, but also extremely barbaric version and pathology.
In conclusion, the Balkans exhibit this disease once more. As passed down to us by the patriarch Photius in the ninth century, Apollonius condenses the pathology, the paroinia, and the power in his sardonic words. Domitian, the Roman emperor, forbids the removal of genitalia and the planting of vines, but he also enacts legislation requiring the removal of all existing vines: And Apollonius (presented as being ascetically indifferent, needing neither physical pleasure nor worldly goods)will remark that, in his opinion, it is the same for him, since he does not require wine or genitalia, but his majesty failed to recognise that by sparing men's testicles, he is castrating the earth.

Conçue comme un prélude ethnographique aux réflexions archéologiques du colloque de Lausanne, la présente contribution propose tout d'abord quelques considérations générales sur le poids de la guerre dans les cultures et sociétés traditionnelles, du Groenland à l'Australie et à l'Afrique australe. Elle se concentre ensuite sur les cultures nagas, à la frontière indo-birmane, puis sur les traditions guerrières himalayennes, dont certaines caractéristiques les rendent particulièrement intéressantes pour des comparaisons avec la Protohistoire. Comparaison, bien sûr, n'est pas raison et l'archéologue ne doit pas attendre de réponses directes des données ethnographiques ou même ethnoarchéologiques. Ce dernier, à notre sens, peut cependant en profiter grandement, en élargissant son champ de références et en découvrant des conceptions ou des pratiques auxquelles un esprit occidental contemporain n'aurait jamais pensé. Cette assertion peut être illustrée par un exemple provenant des peuples nagas, pour lesquels il était plus honorable de ramener une tête de femme ou d'enfant qu'une tête d'homme d'un raid en territoire ennemi, parce que cela nécessitait d'aller plus près des villages et donc de prendre plus de risques. S'il ébranle nos paradigmes, ce qui est toujours bénéfique, ce type d'information ne sert réellement notre discipline que s'il conduit à un retour à la documentation archéologique, avec un nouveau regard et de nouvelles approches, idéalement démonstratives, en relevant autant les différences que les similitudes entre les cultures comparées. Les Celtes du Second âge du Fer, au contraire des Nagas, ne semblent avoir collectionné que des têtes de guerriers et cette simple constatation permet de mettre en perspective et de mieux caractériser les pratiques des deux cultures (fig. ). Le cadre du présent article ne permettra pas une confrontation entre l'information ethnographique et les modèles d'analyse des conflits pré-et protohistoriques, qui ont généré et génèrent toujours d'intenses débats entre archéologues. Nous ne ferons donc, sur cette question, que de renvoyer à différentes études récentes, comme celles d'

Danas se na internetu može kupiti gotovo sve, pa i ljudski skeleti. Posebno su na ceni lobanje. Nadležni u Srbiji kažu da o tome ništa ne znaju

Kupovina i prodaja ljudskih skeleta može biti legalna u zavisnosti od toga odakle potiče taj skelet i gde se prodaje. Najpopularniji i najtraženiji deo ljudskog skeleta je lobanja, čija cena ide i do nekoliko desetina hiljada dolara.

Museum practice in the curation of Indigenous human
remains is rightly shifting toward the integration of
decolonisation initiatives. This transition has sparked
generalised calls for the burial of remains that are
currently in museums, and questions are being raised
as to what is achieved by displaying such collections;
what, or who, is absent.
This essay traces the history of viewing the dead in
the Irish context. It explores the limitations and benefits
of displaying the dead, and also, the loss that could
follow from their literal and metaphorical burial from
public awareness and access.

Resumen: Este ensayo compara tejidos de faz de urdimbre de los Andes centro-sur con textiles similares del noreste de la India, especialmente los de Nagaland en la frontera de Myanmar. Plantea la idea de que estas dos regiones fronterizas relativamente remotas tienen historias similares como pueblos de alta montaña del tipo “Zomia”, reacias a los controles invasivos por parte del estado nacional y propensas a constantes escaramuzas entre grupos locales y con los poderes administrativos, que incluyeron la caza de cabezas en el pasado reciente. Los significados locales de los diseños de tejido, el uso del color y las composiciones generales en ambas regiones sugieren que estos emergieron como formas de reconocer el éxito de un hombre en la guerra, pero expresados a través de las manos de las mujeres, en sus actividades contrapartes como tejedoras. La disponibilidad de un conocimiento detallado sobre la relación entre la guerra y el tejido entre los nagas arroja luz adicional sobre los textiles andinos y cómo estos podrían interpretarse mejor dentro de la historia de las relaciones sociales de género.
Palabras clave: Andes surcentrales, Qaqachaka, Noreste de la India,
Nagas, textiles, caza de cabezas, técnicas textiles, peinecillo.

Headhunting and warp-patterned weaves: Some comparisons between
the textile techniques of Northeast India and the South Central Andes

Abstract: This essay compares warp-faced patterned weaves from the South Central Andes to similar textiles from Northeastern India, especially those of Nagaland on the Myanmar frontier. It puts forward the idea that these two relatively remote border regions have similar histories as hill peoples of the “Zomia” type, averse to invasive controls by the national state, and prone to constant skirmishes between local groups and with the administrative powers, which included headhunting in the recent past. The local meanings of weaving designs, colour use and overall compositions in both regions suggest that these emerged as ways of acknowledging a man’s success in warfare, but expressed through the hands of women, in their counterpart weaving activities. The detailed knowledge available about the relationship between Naga warfare and weaving throws additional light on Andean textiles, and how these might be better interpreted within the history of gendered societal relations.
Key words: South Central Andes, Qaqachaka, Northeast India, Nagas, textiles, headhunting, ladder designs

Interpretations of skulls in secondary position from the Upper Palaeolithic often revolve around the debate on whether they constitute evidence of cannibalism and/or violence, or of secondary funerary deposits. Interpretations regarding the potential meaning of these practices are often overlooked. This paper examines the post-mortem treatment, use, ritualization and/or funerary deposition of crania during the European Upper Palaeolithic by reviewing the material evidence and using ethnographic analogies. It concludes that these behaviours can be the result of different,sometimes contradictory ideas, such as veneration and fear of the dead. These results contribute to the understanding of the Upper Palaeolithic phenomenon of secondary treatment of skulls.

The article deals with deconstructing one of the most long-living myths of Assyriology—the identification of the head hanging from the tree in the “Garden Scene” of Ashurbanipal as the head of his enemy, the Elamite king Te’umman. I prove that this head belongs to another and much more hated enemy of the Assyrian king, the traitor Nabû-bēl-šumāti, whose dead body Ashurbanipal ordered to decapitate.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

Severed heads and weapons were both exhibited in Le Cailar (southern France), in the Celtic Mediterranean area. This iron age settlement has revealed a considerable number of examples of this practice, known for many years thanks to literary sources and archaeological data. This place was a laguna harbor connected with the Rhone delta and was deeply involved in the Mediterranean trade. The pieces of human bones and metal artifacts were found near the fortification, displayed on a large open area. Here we present all the different kind of remains: ceramics and fauna, coins, weapons and other pieces of metal, human bones.

Resumen: La tendencia a considerar los rituales indígenas como prácticas aisladas, carentes de una relación sistemática con otros eventos del ciclo ceremonial, ha llevado a establecer correspondencias demasiado formales entre culturas y sistemas simbólicos que guardan una distancia histórica considerable. El interés que numerosas monografías muestran por el origen de ciertas prácticas ceremoniales, clasificándolas generalmente como prehispánicas y coloniales, no sólo exhibe un desinterés excesivo por el sistema ritual como tal, sino también una clasificación que ha sido elaborada mediante conceptos de experiencia distante, lejanos a las distinciones y los contrastes que los actores descritos consideran significativas. En el presente artículo intentamos demostrar que los rituales indígenas se organizan mediante una sintaxis y una semántica que suelen estar presentes en distintos tipos de ceremonias, tanto del ciclo festivo como del ciclo vital.

En diversas fuentes referentes a la Conquista se relata que Cortés fue hecho prisionero: en Chalco, cuando estaba amagando la cuenca de México para cercar a los mexica en Tenochtitlan, y posteriormente en Tlatelolco, durante el sitio que conllevó a la destrucción de ambas ciudades. Y aunque se destaca que escapó con la ayuda de sus propios soldados o por el auxilio de sus aliados acolhuas, no se explica por qué no lo mataron en ese momento. Si eso hubiera sucedido, ello habría tenido trascendencia en la respuesta de los pueblos mesoamericanos ante la invasión mercantil hispana, y de algún modo habría cambiado el curso de la historia. Al respecto, consideramos que ese hecho tiene que ver con la visión cosmogónica mesoamericana en relación al papel de la occisión humana y el sacrificio propiciatorio del corazón que realizaban los guerreros con sus cautivos; de ello tenemos referencia en las fuentes etnohistóricas, que puede contrastarse con datos de la antropología física, tal como se...

Anthropologic, artistic and medical significance of heart inspired usto undertake this multidisciplinary study. Amongst the 24 obtained echocardiograms and phonograms, 1 was used for a Photoshop processing. In addition, over 20,000 art work reproductions were examined in this study. Artistic and symbolic presentation of heart started some 15,000 years ago. First heart models were made by the Egyptian and Olmec civilisations. Ancient cultures regarded heart as the seat of the soul, spirit and intelligence. First anatomical and artistic images of heart were created by Leonardo da Vinci in the15th century, and first wax models by the Italian anatomists in the 17th century. Mediaeval religious symbolism of heart was replaced in the Renaissance and later on mainly by its role in the romantic love. Anatomical heart art continued in the 18th and 19th centuries through the works of Sénac, Cloquet, Hirschfeldand Bourgery. Some modern artists, such as Dalí, Kahlo, Rivera, Warhol, Ivanjicki, V...

Quebrada de Humahuaca (Jujuy, Argentina) has been extensively studied by archaeologists. Studies have been focused mainly on the Late Regional Development Period (1250-1430 AD), which has been defined as a time of social conflict. In this paper we present bioarchaeological evidence of interpersonal violence related trauma found in populations of the region. A sample of 153 skulls from three sites of Quebrada de Humahuaca: Los Amarillos, La Huerta and Yacoraite, were analyzed, differentiating antemortem and perimortem fractures, cut marks as well as the presence of trophy skulls. The results were subjected to nonparametric statistical tests, in order to assess inter-site level differences, sex and age distribution. Bioarchaeological analysis determined a high frequency of interpersonal violence related trauma. Most registered injuries belonged to the antemortem type, demonstrating that the individuals of those events that had generated said cranial trauma had managed to survive. Inte...

Research on the provenance and history of a human skull in the collection of Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Gotha (Thuringia, Germany) reveals a tragic story of colonial violence and counter-violence in mid-19th century Southeast Borneo (presently South and Central Kalimantan). By an eclectic mix of micro-historical, cultural and physical anthropological methods the entangled destinies of two indigenous men are partly reconstructed, departing from the skull of a presumed Borneo rebel and murderer donated in 1862 by a German officer in Dutch services. Traces of the skull's trajectory lead to the story of the rebel's alleged victim, the first known casualty of the Banjar war in 1859 and Borneo's first Christian martyr. Reduced to a "zoological object", in the “collection of quadrupeds”, the rebel's individual destiny is forgotten in the museum trajectory, much as that of the victim, who as a non-European was accorded a marginal role at best. The example shows that guided by principles of micro-history, provenance research not only produces information on the ownership of human remains and their specific historical context, but can also provide insights in contemporary collection practices, in the history of missions and science, and extreme violence in a trans-colonial context. Over time, the remains change their function and signification in processes of subsequent recontextualizations, oblivion and remembrance. The fact that they were not found in a collection of the former colonizing country, points to the multiple entanglements of trans-imperial European history, involving actors from such different origins as today’s Indonesia, Ghana, Germany and Switzerland.