BRUSSELS, BELGIUM—Modified sheep skulls have been found in Hierakonpolis, a mortuary complex in Upper Egypt dated to 3700 B.C., according to report in The Independent. In all, the remains of at least six large, castrated male sheep were found in an elite grave at the site. Their horns had been manipulated to prevent them from growing laterally, as would be expected, explained Wim Van Neer of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and his colleagues. Analysis of the skulls and horn cores shows that the horns had been fractured and then tied together at the base. The practice resulted in three sheep with upright, parallel horns. In some cases, the horns appear to have been removed entirely. Van Neer said that the modifications were likely intended to keep the animals from injuring each other and their human handlers. This is the first time that horn modification has been identified in sheep, and the earliest evidence for the practice, which has been previously documented in third-millennium B.C. cattle remains discovered in Nubia, he concluded. To read about mummified animal heads found around the temple of Ramesses II at Abydos, go to "Ram Heads for Ramesses."
