CHEGA SOFLA, IRAN—Science News Today reports that archaeologists excavating a Copper Age cemetery in western Iran recently noticed the unusual skull of a young woman among the burials. Her elongated and cone-shaped cranium clearly indicated that when she was younger, she had undergone some type of skull modification, a process that usually involves the binding of a child’s head with cloth during their formative years. The report notes that for many cultures across the globe, from the Central American Maya to the Huns of Eurasia, cranial shaping was a symbol of beauty, status, or identity. In this case, the researchers believe, it may have marked the girl as someone of significance 6,200 years ago. Upon further examination, however, they also noticed a skull fracture indicating that the young girl, who was not yet 20, had suffered a devastating blunt force blow to the head that certainly killed her. They suggest that although her skull bones were thinner and weaker as a result of the modification process, the head trauma was so severe that it would have killed her even if she had never been subject to the procedure. It is still unclear whether she was deliberately murdered or suffered some kind of accident. To read about the practice of children's cranial modification along the Peruvian coast a millennium ago, go to "Peru's Great Urban Experiment."
Young Woman with Cone-Shaped Skull Suffered Fatal Blow 6,000 Years Ago
News June 12, 2025
SHARE:
Recommended Articles
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2024
Near Eastern Lip Kit

(Images by M. Vidale, F. Zorzi)
Features July/August 2023
Rise of the Persian Princes
In their grand capital Persepolis, Achaemenid rulers expressed their vision of a prosperous, multicultural empire

(Borna_Mir/ Adobe Stock)
Digs & Discoveries November/December 2021
Salty Snack

Digs & Discoveries January/February 2021
Persian Steel

(Courtesy Rahil Alipour, UCL)
-
Features May/June 2025
A Passion for Fruit
Exploring the surprisingly rich archaeological record of berries, melons…and more
© BnF, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY -
Artifacts May/June 2025
Etruscan Carved Gemstone
© The Trustees of the British Museum -
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2025
The Cat and the Fat
SMB - Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung/Photo: Sandra Steiß -
Digs & Discoveries May/June 2025
The King's Throne
© Ministère de la Culture/Médiathèque du Patrimoine, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY