The mummified head and neck of what is said to be the most fascinating of ancient discoveries have just been found, an elongated newborn skull. Brien Foerster from Hidden Inca Tours said that the skull comes from a new-born baby of the Paracas culture of Peru.
Paracas Newborn Had Auburn Hair, Not Black
The new-born baby skull was found complete with auburn colored hair. The skull stands out due to the fact that this isn’t the typical hair color seen in Native American people. It is thought that the skull is from around 2,800 years ago and experts believe that it is the skull of a newborn or a young baby no older than 3 months.
Experts say that the elongated skull is unique due to the fact that it suggests a genetically elongated skull, in other words, it was elongated due to head binding as the process of artificial cranial deformation takes 6 months at least before the effect of this skull would be seen.
Find Suggests Rare Race Lived In Peru Thousands Of Years Ago
Archaeologists in Peru have so far found hundreds of elongated skulls that have strange characteristics. However, this new find gives hints that possibly many thousands of years ago there was an ancient race of people living in Peru who had skulls that were naturally elongated. Foerster pointed out that the fine hair on the skull of the baby was a strange red in color instead of black that is typically seen on people from Native America.
Experts have said that this skull, thanks to the hair color and elongation, is the best piece of evidence yet to be seen, showing genetic changes from what are typically expected. It was also noted that the vertebral column of the baby would have been found further back on the skull than in the typical human. He said that this gives an indication of evolutionary adaptation in order to compensate for an elongated skull.
The elongated skulls of the Paracas have been something that has been debated for many years among experts. On the South coast of Peru in 1928 researchers found a cemetery with the remains of 300 people and all of them had elongated skulls. The skulls were said to be around 3,000 years old and today they have the name of the Paracas Skulls.
Skull Is Bigger And Heavier Than That Of Human Skull
Researchers said that the cranial volume of the skulls is 25% bigger and 60% heavier in weight than that of a conventional human skull. On the human skull, there are two parietal bones found between the occipital and frontal, which make up the sides of the calvaria, also known as the skullcap. The calvaria are made up of superior portions of frontal bone, the occipital bone and the parietal bones, while the skulls of the Paracas have just one.
Elongated skulls are something of a global phenomenon and not an isolated finding, the evidence of the many skulls found all around the world are a testament to this. Head binding has been one of the subjects that have puzzled archaeologists worldwide. They try to avoid, at any cost, exploring the many thousands of elongated skulls that have so far been found in regions include Asia, Bolivia, Egypt and Mexico.
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