A skull unearthed more than 50 years ago from a prehistoric burial site on the northwestern Italian coast has been confirmed as the earliest known example of artificial cranial modification (ACM) in Europe. The find, dated to between 12,190 and 12,620 years ago, suggests that purposeful head shaping was practiced during the Late Upper Paleolithic, pushing back the origins of this European cultural practice.
The skull, designated Arene Candide 12 (AC12), was discovered in the 1940s in the Arene Candide Cave, a significant archaeological site that hunter-gatherers had used as a cemetery between approximately 12,900 and 11,600 years ago. Excavations there uncovered many skeletons, including some that had been arranged deliberately during elaborate funeral rites. AC12, which belonged to an adult male, had been buried in a niche above another grave—a tomb known as the “Tomb of the Antlers”—with its jawbone and other remains found separately nearby.
Originally reconstructed in the 1970s, AC12’s elongated skull shape was controversial. It was initially assumed that it resulted from a pathological condition or accidental childhood trauma. With new evidence, however, scientists now believe it was a deliberate cultural practice and the earliest known instance of artificial cranial modification in Europe.
Artificial cranial modification involves subjecting an infant’s skull to ongoing pressure during its growing phase—typically by binding the head with fabric or a rigid board—which causes a permanent shape alteration. The AC12 skull appears to have undergone the annular, or circumferential, modification process, likely through tight wrapping with cloth strips.
As the skull had been glued during its initial reconstruction, the research team disassembled it virtually using CT scans. They then made four digital reconstructions and compared AC12 to others using geometric morphometrics—a statistical method for studying bone shapes—against Late Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic skulls from Italy, as well as other worldwide examples of ACM. All the analyses positioned AC12 consistently among the group of intentionally modified crania, distinct from unmodified skulls and skulls altered by disease or trauma.
The reasons for cranial modification are still not known, although it is believed to have served as a sign of identity, social status, or group affiliation. In Arene Candide, the presence of other evidence—such as individuals wearing cheek plugs—suggests that body decoration was practiced in diverse forms.
This discovery places ACM in Europe much earlier than previously estimated, aligning it with some of the world’s oldest known examples. The oldest example in Australia dates to about 13,500 years ago, and in Asia, to about 11,200 years ago. While perhaps most famously known in Central and South America, where it persisted for nearly 10,000 years, the new study—published in Scientific Reports—demonstrates that the behavior has Paleolithic roots in Eurasia.
Further DNA studies from the Arene Candide remains could reveal whether AC12’s distinctive head shape indicated migration or cultural contact with distant societies. The practice could have developed independently in multiple regions or spread through intergroup contact. In either scenario, the AC12 skull is a startling witness to the significance of body modification in human history.
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