Skulls

26 August, 2020 - 23:01 Gary Manners

Elongated Skulls Found in Completely New Region of Peru

Five sets of human skeletal remains have been discovered by investigators in Peru and, surprisingly, two of the five have elongated skulls. The find has been made in an area where this type of skull...

One of the mounted skulls found in Motala, Sweden. Credit: Anna Arnberg.

26 June, 2020 - 18:50 dhwty

This is What a Man from the Tomb of Sunken Skulls Looked Like

When archaeologists were excavating a dry prehistoric lake bed in Motala, Sweden in 2009, they stumbled upon one of the most peculiar archaeological discoveries the nation had seen – the so-called ‘...

The skull of a man, 25-40 years, with his face cut off with a sharp weapon. The head was found in a well outside a pit house from the 9th century in Aarhus, Denmark. Source: Rogvi N. Johansen/Moesgaard Museum

5 May, 2020 - 01:57 ashley cowie

De-faced Skulls and Babies Were Buried in Viking Homes

A new Viking research paper determines parts of dead Norse folk, especially children, were kept beneath homes after the deceased had been buried. So often sensationalized, glamorized and mystified,...

A bone wall was discovered at Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium

21 February, 2020 - 18:55 ashley cowie

Skeletons in the Closet: Walls of Bones Discovered Beneath Cathedral

Walls constructed of human bones and skulls have been discovered beneath a Belgium cathedral. The nine walls composed of bones and shattered human skulls were discovered by archaeologists while...

Original position of the skeletal remains inside submerged cave of Muknal. Source: Jerónimo Avilés /© 2020 Hubbe et al CC BY 4.0

30 January, 2020 - 18:55 ashley cowie

First Americans Were More Diverse Than Thought

Scientists are claiming current theories “over-simplify” how the Americas were populated. Most of us were taught that the Americas were void of humans until around 13,000 years ago and authors like...

Representation of cannibalism in the Caribbean

12 January, 2020 - 19:06 ashley cowie

Scientists Suggest Columbus' Caribbean Cannibals Might Be True

A new study of ancient Caribbean skulls suggests Christopher Columbus' accounts of fierce raiders abducting women and cannibalizing men ‘might’ be true. In 1492, under orders from King Ferdinand of...

10 January, 2020 - 01:52 Ed Whelan

Niah National Park, Where the Caves Continue to Give 40 Thousand Years On

Because Malaysia has an amazing climate and incredible natural scenery, the country is popular with international visitors . It also has many remarkable national parks, such as Niah National Park...

Infant discovered at Salango, Ecuador, with a skull helmet. Source: Twitter.

15 November, 2019 - 22:59 ashley cowie

Ecuadorian Infants Discovered Wearing Child Skull ‘Helmets’

Archaeologists in Ecuador have found two buried infants wearing “helmets” fashioned from the skulls of two other children. The ritual complex and funerary platform of Salango on the central coast of...

Ancient site of Göbeklitepe in Turkey, the oldest temple in the world. Source: JB Press / CC BY-SA 2.0)

14 October, 2019 - 23:04 Refik

Was Göbeklitepe An Ancient Temple of Sacrifice?

Göbeklitepe, the world’s oldest temple , is around 12,000 years old. It was built by hunter-gatherers in the pre-pottery Neolithic period, before writing and the wheel were invented. Göbeklitepe has...

15 August, 2019 - 14:04 ashley cowie

Maya Sacrificial Victims Were Likely Young, Foreign and Skinned Alive

Scientists in Mexico have been studying tooth enamel from the skulls of 1,000-year-old Maya human sacrificial victims from the gloomy depths of a sacred cenote (sink hole). The new study was...

21 April, 2019 - 01:41 dhwty

The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs

Paris, the capital of France, is often called La Ville Lumière (meaning ‘The City of Light’), however, beneath this bustling European city of 12 million people, lies a dark subterranean world holding...

Skulls found at Le Cailar archaeological site show signs that the heads were embalmed.

8 November, 2018 - 18:51 ashley cowie

Gallic Warriors Reaped, Embalmed Then Displayed the Heads of Their Slain Enemies

Returning from battle, according to ancient accounts, Gallic warriors displayed the severed heads of their fallen enemies around their horses’ necks for all to see, as they returned victorious to...

One of six trophy heads found in the 27 funerary pits.

14 August, 2018 - 18:51 ashley cowie

Recently Unearthed Head Collectors in Ancient Peru Might Not Be So Unique

Head-hunting, as a way of establishing power and veneration of the head as the throne of the soul and the body’s spiritual engine, began in Europe as far back as Mesolithic times, approximately 13,...

20 July, 2018 - 13:59 Ed Whelan

Disrespect for the Dead: Disturbing Theft of 21 Skulls from an English Church

The BBC is reporting a bizarre and grisly crime, that took place in Kent, England. Thieves have stolen some 21 human skulls from St Leonard's Church in Hythe, Kent. They were stored in a charnel...

Victim of Waldemar Atterdags invasion of Visby in 1361

17 June, 2018 - 19:02 dhwty

Battle of Visby: Medieval Massacre Leaves Behind Harrowing Remains of Fallen Soldiers

The Battle of Visby was a violent Medieval battle near the town of Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, fought between the inhabitants of Gotland and the Danes, with the latter emerging victorious...

Skulls from the Andean Paracas (top left). (CC BY-SA 3.0); Paracas skull at Ica Museum(right). (CC BY 2.0); Child head shaping methods (bottom left).

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...