A possible case of symbolic trepanation in Neolithic Central Germany

Nicklisch, Nicole; Dresely, Veit; Orschiedt, Jörg; Ramsthaler, Frank; Schlenker, Björn; Ganslmeier, Robert; Friederich, Susanne; Meller, Harald; Alt, Kurt W.

doi:10.1002/oa.2648

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Based on the level of fragmentation, no indications for perimortem trauma (due to interpersonal violence or accidents) could be observed on the skeletal elements. However, the studies by Madden, Karsten, Ledogar, Schmidt, and Sokhatsky (), Nicklisch et al (), and Wierer et al () indicate that violence was quite existent during the Late Neolithic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who lived on the Swiss Plateau around 3300 BCE? Analyses of commingled human skeletal remains from the dolmen of Oberbipp

Siebke

Steuri

Furtwängler

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Nowadays, the discovery and excavation of an almost intact Late Neolithic dolmen is rare, as those monuments were often visible in the landscape and have been investigated or destroyed in earlier times; therefore, information about the buried individuals has often been lost. The excavation of the dolmen, a stone grave chamber, from Oberbipp, Switzerland, in 2012 provided a unique opportunity to study human skeletal remains from a Late Neolithic collective burial (3350–2650 BCE). Over 2,000 fragmented and commingled skeletal elements were recovered and form the basis of this morphological study. Established morphological methods were employed to evaluate the minimum number of individuals, age at death, sex, stature, and the presence of pathological alterations and trauma. Sex was determined additionally by aDNA analysis. Elements of the entire human skeleton were recovered indicating a primary burial site. At least 42 individuals (femora) from all age classes (57%:43% adults to subadults) were buried in the dolmen. Based on aDNA analysis (n = 23, partes petrosae) slightly more males than females (44%:35% males to females, 22% indeterminate) were recovered. Stature was estimated from complete femora (n = 3) indicating an average body height between 154–157 cm. Pathological alterations and trauma could be observed on several bones, however, without indications for major interpersonal violence. The caries intensity of Swiss samples seems to be higher compared with other Neolithic European sites. A possible separation of burial areas for males and females based on the recovery of skeletal elements within the dolmen along with aDNA results is postulated. In addition, this article contributes to a better understanding of Late Neolithic populations in Central Europe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who lived on the Swiss Plateau around 3300 BCE? Analyses of commingled human skeletal remains from the dolmen of Oberbipp

Siebke

Steuri

Furtwängler

et al. 2019

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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“…It has been practiced throughout human history from the Neolithic period to the modern era. Moreover, trepanation has been found all over the world, such as in Europe (Piggott 1940;Mariani-Costantini et al 2000;Facchini et al 2003;Weber and Wahl 2006;Lopez et al 2011;Nicklisch et al 2018;Tulumello et al 2018;Pasini et al 2019;Piombino-Mascali et al 2019), Asia (Zias and Pomeranz 1992;Sankhyan and Weber 2001;Bazarsad 2003;Han and Chen 2007;Lv et al 2013;Khudaverdyan 2016;Zhang et al 2018;Reddy and Satyamurthy 2019), America (Tello 1913;Powell 1970;Jørgensen 1988;Stone and Miles 1990;Velasco-Suarez et al 1992;Andrushko and Verano 2008;Verano 2016a;Kushner et al 2018), Africa (Margetts 1967;Nerlich et al 2003;Collado-Vázquez and Carrillo 2014), and Oceania (Houghton 1977;Vasilyev and Sviridov 2017). Anthropological and ethnographic evidences demonstrated several motivations for trepanation including post-injury treatment or postmortem rituals (Capasso and Tota 1996;Han and Chen 2007;Moskalenko et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early evidence of trepanation along the Yellow River Basin in Neolithic China

Zhou

Lin

et al. 2020

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Trepanation is a long-lasting ancient practice found around the world with diverse motivations. However, the distribution and motivation of intentional trepanation in China remain unclear. This study presents one of the earliest trepanations on a male adult individual who is unearthed from the Shuanghuaishu site in Gongyi, Henan, dating back to the late Yangshao cultural period (3500-2900 BC). The macroscopic and microscopic observation, alongside with micro-CT scan, are conducted to further evaluate the conditions on the edges of the perforation and intracranial situation. The oval perforation is located on the occipital bone, and neither fracture nor apparent healing signs are observed on the margins. Archeological evidences and simulated experiment indicate that the trepanation could be conducted by drilling the tables of the skull with a V-bladed stone tool. In view of the location of the perforation and the limited details on the edges, the motivation behind the trepanation could be due to the medical treatment of trauma on the occipital bone or a postmortem ritual. The analysis of the early trepanation along the Yellow River Basin provides further evidence on the ancient human behavior and enriches our understanding of the origin and distribution of trepanation in Neolithic China.

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“…En términos generales, esto se debe a que, por un lado, constituye un elemento diagnóstico para reconstruir los perfiles biológicos de los individuos (Buikstra y Ubelaker 1994). Por otro lado, es un elemento considerado con alto valor simbólico por representar el lugar donde se encontraría la personalidad de los individuos (Nicklisch et al 2018). Debido a estas particularidades es que las modificaciones en el cráneo adquieren un gran valor dentro de los estudios bioarqueológicos y paleopatológicos, ya que se pueden vincular con violencia, con intervenciones rituales o con procedimientos quirúrgicos (Nicklisch et al 2018).…”

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“…Por otro lado, es un elemento considerado con alto valor simbólico por representar el lugar donde se encontraría la personalidad de los individuos (Nicklisch et al 2018). Debido a estas particularidades es que las modificaciones en el cráneo adquieren un gran valor dentro de los estudios bioarqueológicos y paleopatológicos, ya que se pueden vincular con violencia, con intervenciones rituales o con procedimientos quirúrgicos (Nicklisch et al 2018). Un ejemplo de modificaciones craneanas ampliamente reportado es la trepanación, que consiste en la remoción intencional de una o más porciones del neurocráneo.…”

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Modificaciones Intencionales Del Cráneo. Primer Registro De Perforaciones Craneanas en El Noreste Argentino

Scabuzzo

Raap

2021

Chungará (Arica)

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En las investigaciones bioarqueológicas y paleopatológicas, las modificaciones intencionales en el cráneo adquieren gran valor, dado que permiten abordar diferentes aspectos sobre los individuos y las poblaciones del pasado. Un ejemplo de modificaciones craneanas ampliamente difundido en distintas partes del mundo es la trepanación. Particularmente en Argentina, los estudios bioarqueológicos reportaron escasos ejemplos de estas intervenciones. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar, analizar y discutir el hallazgo de perforaciones intencionales en fragmentos craneales de un infante inhumado en el sitio arqueológico Cerro Lorenzo 2 (Entre Ríos, Argentina) correspondiente al Holoceno Tardío. Se describirán las características morfológicas y métricas de las oquedades, se realizará el diagnóstico diferencial y se evaluará la técnica empleada. Este análisis se efectuó mediante la observación macroscópica y el empleo de lupas y radiografías. Los resultados indican que las oquedades se efectuaron intencionalmente en momentos perimortem y a través de la técnica de perforación. Finalmente, se discute la interpretación del caso de estudio en vinculación con las modificaciones intencionales del cráneo tomando en consideración las trepanaciones; se evalúan los posibles motivos rituales o terapéuticos relacionados con estas intervenciones y las implicancias a nivel regional de esta práctica inédita hasta el momento en el Noreste Argentino.Palabras claves: perforaciones craneanas, diagnóstico diferencial, manipulación ritual, cuenca inferior del Río Uruguay.In bioarchaeological and palaeopathological research, intentional modifications to the skull are of great value as they allow different aspects of past individuals and populations to be addressed. An example of cranial modifications widely reported in different parts of the world is trepanation. In Argentina, bioarchaeological studies have so far reported few examples of these interventions. The aim of this work is to present, analyze, and discuss the findings on intentional perforations in the skull of a child buried at the late Holocene archaeological site of Cerro Lorenzo 2 (Entre Ríos, Argentina). The analyzes included X-rays and a macroscopic differential diagnosis to evaluate possible etiologies. The results indicate that the cavities were made perimortem and using the drilling technique. Finally, we discuss the range of possible ritual and therapeutic reasons for this intervention and the regional implications of this unprecedented practice in Northeast Argentina.

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A possible case of symbolic trepanation in Neolithic Central Germany

Cited by 4 publications

References 61 publications

Who lived on the Swiss Plateau around 3300 BCE? Analyses of commingled human skeletal remains from the dolmen of Oberbipp

Who lived on the Swiss Plateau around 3300 BCE? Analyses of commingled human skeletal remains from the dolmen of Oberbipp

Early evidence of trepanation along the Yellow River Basin in Neolithic China

Modificaciones Intencionales Del Cráneo. Primer Registro De Perforaciones Craneanas en El Noreste Argentino

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