A prehistoric skull discovered half a century ago in an Italian cave is the oldest example of artificial cranial modification ever discovered in Europe, new research reveals. The unusually long skull, which is about 12,500 years old, confirms that this practice dates back to at least the Stone Age.
"Body modification — including cranial shaping — was one of many strategies used by past societies to construct and communicate identity, status, and belonging," study co-author Irene Dori, a bioarchaeologist at the University of Florence, told Live Science in an email.
