(Image Credit: Denis Gliksman, Inrap)
The skeletal remains of an ancient aristocratic woman have been uncovered in France, with her skull warped into a deformed, pointy shape.
The skull was found in a necropolis in the Alsace region of France which contains 38 tombs spanning 4,000 years, ranging from the Stone Ages to the Dark Ages. The tombs were first discovered in 2011 during a preliminary excavation prior to the commencement of a big industrial building project.
Phillip Lefranc, the archaeologist who excavated the stone age burials, noted that one of the burials contained 20 tombs of men, women and children.
“The corpses are lying on their backs, with outstretched legs and heads turned westwards,” Lefranc said.
The second burial in a separate area contained 18 tombs, one holding the woman with the elongated skull.
“The deformation of the skull with the help of bandages (narrow strips of cloth) and small boards is a practice coming from central Asia,” Lefranc said in an email. “It was popularized by the Huns and adopted by many German people.”
Check out the entire article here with images at LiveScience.
