Boards and Cords

Download or read book Boards and Cords written by Tyler G. O'Brien and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2024-02-14 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeological evidence and ethnohistoric accounts document ancient groups from around the world intentionally binding their infants’ head in one of two manners. Soon after birth they would either strap hard, flat devices (e.g., boards) to both the front and back of the infant’s head, or wrap tight bandages (e.g., cords) around the head. The result is a permanently modified, adult head. In Boards and Cords, bioarchaeologist and skeletal biologist, Tyler G. O’Brien, explores the long-practiced, biocultural phenomenon of intentional cranial modification via an anthropological lens. An introductory chapter offers briefly summarized answers to main questions often asked about cranial modification. The book then covers normal cranial growth and development to set the groundwork for understanding better how scientists interpret abnormally shaped pathological skulls from those that are modified. What follows is a thorough exploration of archaeological evidence and ethnohistoric accounts beginning with the earliest modified skulls, found at sites dating back 20,000 years, and continuing to today’s modern-day use of the cranial orthotic helmet as corrective treatment for infants with deformational plagiocephaly. This book is a valuable multidisciplinary tool for the student and scholar who wants to read a global account of intentional cranial modification.