Trepanation in the Chachapoya region of northern Perú

This paper discusses trepanation frequency data from the Chachapoya region of the northern highlands of Perú. New data from three skeletal samples are presented: Kuelap, Laguna Huayabamba, and Los Pinchudos, as well as isolated crania housed at the Chachapoya Museo Instituto Nacional de Cultura. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of osteoarchaeology Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 39 - 51
Main Author Nystrom, K. C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.01.2007
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects
Archaeology
Bones
Chachapoya
cranial trauma
Drilling
Head
Injuries
Paleontology
ritual
trepanation
Peru
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Summary:This paper discusses trepanation frequency data from the Chachapoya region of the northern highlands of Perú. New data from three skeletal samples are presented: Kuelap, Laguna Huayabamba, and Los Pinchudos, as well as isolated crania housed at the Chachapoya Museo Instituto Nacional de Cultura. The vast majority of the trepanations are circular in shape, except for one individual exhibiting as many as three roughly square trepanations. Evidence for healing is prevalent, with examples of both associated periosteal reaction of nearby outer table bone, as well as for healing of the insult itself. Only one case demonstrates a clear association between a traumatic injury and a trepanation event. The purpose or function of the remaining cases of trepanation, however, remains elusive. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bibliography:istex:2035E7E08950EB43A1E70116B1F7B87A8D0B0CC9
ark:/67375/WNG-G4BXNPP5-K
ArticleID:OA860
ISSN:1047-482X
1099-1212
DOI:10.1002/oa.860