Multiple tools such as conical hats and wooden slabs were used to shape a child's head back in the olden days. Some of the heads got elongated while the rest flattened.
As I have mentioned in numerous articles, the people of the olden days had distorted beliefs and customs. Archaeologists discovered a wide variety of elongated or deformed skulls while excavating multiple sites in different countries of the world. The Paracas culture of Peru is known for initiating the said practice. The people of Paracas culture had deformed, flattened or elongated skulls.
Moreover, the people of this particular culture lived in the Ica region of Peru. Most information about the lives of the Paracas people comes from the Paracas Peninsula, officially investigated in the 1920s by one of the Peruvian archaeologists called Julio Tello.
Multiple archaeologists, scientists and experts researched about this custom back when they excavated various sites. They eventually discovered that the people of Paracas believed in infant head binding. Infant head binding deformed their heads as they used multiple objects such as flat wooden slabs and conical hats to shape the skulls. Some got elongated while the rest flattened. It is not just the people of Paracas that believed in head binding. Multiple ancient societies participated in this particular custom. No one truly knows why they performed such heinous acts.
I have accumulated ten fascinating facts regarding the ancient skulls of Paracas. Let’s have a look at them, shall we?
1) A famous archaeologist called Julio Tello discovered over 429 Paracas mummies in 1928. The mummies were found from the subterranean necropolis at Wari Kayan. He was the one who noticed that the mummies of the ancient people of Paracas had deformed heads.
2) Several experts and archaeologists eventually noticed that the people in multiple parts of the world had elongated skulls; similar to the ones found in Peru. As per various accounts, the people of Paracas had normal faces. However, the heads were misshapen due to infant binding.
3) According to multiple reports, the people of Paracas had bigger brains. They were different than ordinary human beings. Multiple theories originated once the remnants were unearthed. Quite a lot of people claim that the people of Paracas came from another world.
4) According to an anonymous geneticist, the DNA of these mummies had mutations unknown in any human, primate, or animal known so far.
5) Facial characteristics of these mummies suggest that they were ordinary humans. Moreover, deformed skulls are a result of head binding. The above-average cranial size and other features are also normal human variations.
6) According to the experts, the people of the olden days started the head binding process roughly a month after birth. The skull of an infant is quite sensitive during that period. Hence, the entire process of shaping the head continued for over six months for each individual.
7) The Paracas culture was an Andean society that lived during 800 BCE to 100 BCE. They had extensive knowledge of irrigation and water management. As per various accounts, the people of Paracas were exceptionally talented and had massive brains.
8) Head binding still occurs in today’s day and age; it takes place in countries such as Vanuatu.
9) As per various accounts, the earliest head binding records date to 400 BC.
10) Certain experts claim that the brains of the people of Paracas were massive. Also, most of the children that were born within their society had conical heads by birth. Misshapen heads were considered a blessing.
Let’s summarise what we learned:
The Paracas skulls are still a massive mystery for uncountable experts. Quite a lot of theories surround them; some believe that the people of the olden days were not humans but extraterrestrial beings.
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