Head-binding tradition means skull is human, and likely a child
News of this skeleton found in Peru has scientists baffled. The head is almost as big as the body, indicating a young child, and the skull has a soft spot ... yet there are two molars normally found in adults.
Is this the skeleton of a child, or a case of head-binding on a dwarf-like individual? That may seem to be the most logical explanation, and the first step will be to DNA test the skeleton and the skull to ensure they are the same person.
Head-binding in Peru, Mexico and Africa
Paracas skull from Peru
Unusual Paracas skull supposedly deformed by binding the growing head of an infant. The resulting domed head was considered beautiful.
Photographed in the Museo Regional de Ica, from World-Mysteries.com
The tradition of head-binding is also known in Africa.
Could it be that a dwarf was subjected to head-binding at a young age, and one possible side effect was that the head was able to grow even when the body couldn't, so you end up with an extra-large adult head on a child-like body? Further testing may provide clues about that, however it seems less likely than a scenario where this is a human being who died young.
In summary, the most logical explanation is that it is a child and the head-binding was so "successful" that the small neck and body could not support the skull, leading to premature death, a clear warning to Paracans as to what can go wrong. If a child, one could estimate this person may have been at least seven or eight years old, because of the presence of molars.
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