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Paleoneurosurgical Aspects of Proto-Bulgarian Artificial Skull Deformations

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Paleoneurosurgical Aspects of Proto-Bulgarian Artificial Skull Deformations Neurosurg Focus 29 (6):E3, 2010 Paleoneurosurgical aspects of Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformations YAVOR ENCHEV, M.D., PH.D.,1 GRIGORIY NedeLKOV, M.D., PH.D.,2 NAdeZHDA ATANASSOVA-TImeVA, M.S.,3 AND JORDAN JORDANOV, M.D., PH.D.3 1Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University-Sofia;2 Department of Radiology, University Hospital “Tzaritza Ioanna,” Medical University-Sofia; and 3Department of Anthropology, Institute of Experimental Morphology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria Paleoneurosurgery represents a comparatively new developing direction of neurosurgery dealing with archaeo- logical skull and spine finds and studying their neurosurgical aspects. Artificial skull deformation, as a bone artifact, naturally has been one of the main paleoneurosurgical research topics. Traditionally, the relevant neurosurgical lit- erature has analyzed in detail the intentional skull deformations in South America’s tribes. However, little is known about the artificial skull deformations of the Proto-Bulgarians, and what information exists is mostly due to anthro- pological studies. The Proto-Bulgarians originated from Central Asia, and distributed their skull deformation ritual on the Balkan Peninsula by their migration and domination. Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformation was an erect or oblique form of the anular type, and was achieved by 1 or 2 pressure bandages that were tightened around a new- born’s head for a sufficiently long period. The intentional skull deformation in Proto-Bulgarians was not associated with neurological deficits and/or mental retardation. No indirect signs of chronic elevated intracranial pressure were found on the 3D CT reconstruction of the artificially deformed skulls.(DOI: 10.3171/2010.9.FOCUS10193) KEY WORDS • paleoneurosurgery • artificial skull deformation • Proto-Bulgarian HE eternal striving of humans to be discernible Who Were the Proto-Bulgarians? from the others in the crowd has provoked the de- velopment of many different techniques for chang- The modern Bulgarians are descended from 3 ances- Ting their bodies. Throughout the history of humankind, tral groups: Slavs, Thracians, and Proto-Bulgarians. In the humans have constantly invented new methods to change postulated “homeland” region (present-day Ukraine), Slavs their external appearance. Some of the methods, such as had had contacts with Sarmatians and Goths. After their body painting, make-up and hairdressing, produce tem- subsequent spread on the Balkans, in the early 6th centu- porary effects. Other, permanent examples of body modi- ry, they had begun assimilating non-Slavic, paleo-Balkan fication include tattooing, circumcision, clitoridectomy, peoples, such as Thracians and Greeks. Having lost their foot binding, uvulectomy, body piercing, intentional indigenous culture due to persistent Hellenization and the scarring, and most recently plastic surgery.7 Some of the Roman conquest, everything that had remained from the most extreme forms of body modification are those that Thracians had been completely absorbed into the Slavic alter not only the humans’ soft tissues, but also their skel- tribes. etons. These include dental mutilation, trephination, and Traditionally, historians associated the Proto-Bulgari- artificial cranial deformation. The historical geographical ans with the Huns, who had migrated from Central Asia. distribution of body modification and in particular of in- However, the evidence for this has not been definitive, tentional skull deformation is ubiquitous; it occurs in all and the debates have continued up to the present. Genetic continents of the world16 and is a part of many cultures, and anthropological researchers have shown that the large including that of Proto-Bulgarians3–5,10,11,13 (Fig. 1). All steppe confederations of history had not been ethnically dates in this paper are from the Common Era. homogeneous, but rather had been unions of multiple eth- nicities.3 In the first third of the 6th century, the Proto-Bul- Abbreviation used in this paper: ICP = intracranial pressure. garians, originally from Central Asia, had formed an inde- Neurosurg Focus / Volume 29 / December 2010 1 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/01/21 06:21 AM UTC Y. Enchev et al. FIG. 1. Map of the world showing historical geographical distribution of artificial skull deformations. pendent state that had become known as Great Bulgaria. Its and the coronal sutures a rare anatomical variation—os territory had extended from the Donets River to the north, bregmaticum—was observed. The identified changes of the Black Sea and the Azov Sea to the south, the lower the nasal bones most likely had been caused by an ad- course of the Danube to the west, and the Kuban River to ditional tightening bandage, which had flattening of the the east. Khazars had subjugated Great Bulgaria in the sec- nose as its aim. According to the racial analysis, the skull ond half of the 7th century. Proto-Bulgarians had migrated had belonged to a member of the European race, with pre- to the region known as Ongal and conquered Moesia and vailing Proto-European racial features. Scythia Minor from the Byzantine Empire, expanding the Another artificially deformed skull, dating back to the new kingdom farther into the Balkan Peninsula. A peace Late Antiquity period (4th–6th century), was excavated in treaty with Byzantium in 681 and the establishment of the the city of Varna, in the Black Sea region13 (Fig. 2). The Bulgarian capital of Pliska south of the Danube River had skull had belonged to a 25- to 30-year-old woman, and had marked the beginning of the First Bulgarian Empire. Proto- an erect form of the anular type cranial deformation. It had Bulgarian invaders had mingled with the Slav tribes and been encircled by a 4-cm-wide bandage, which had been had imposed their traditions and rituals, including artificial tied around the forehead, the parietal bones, and the squa- skull deformation. ma occipitalis. Due to the circular pressure, the head had grown upward and had aquired an approximately cone- shaped form, with an apparent depression in the middle Proto-Bulgarian Artificial Skull Deformations of the squama frontalis and a flattened squama occipitalis. In the territory of contemporary Bulgaria were found Based on racial analysis, the skull could be assigned to the 56 cases of Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformations European race, with slight Mongoloid traces. in 4 excavations, and 1 intentionally deformed Pecheneg Two skulls with artificial deformation of the anular skull. The finds were dated from the 4th to the 11th century. type were examined (of a total of 23 skeletons), from the An artificially deformed skull from the Late Antiq- Early Medieval non-Christian necropolis with 2 burial uity period (4th–6th century), belonging to a man more sites in the village of Kyulevcha, Shumen region (8th–9th than 60 years old, was excavated from a Christian necrop- century)11 (Fig. 2). olis in Kabile, in southeast Bulgaria5 (Fig. 2). Some mor- The first skull had belonged to a 22- to 25-year-old phological changes of the neurocranium, like a strongly woman. The traces from the tightening bandages (with a flattened, elevated, and elongated frontal bone; shortened width of approximately 4.5–5 cm), were clearly detected occipital bones; and a flattened lower part of the squama immediately above the frontal eminences. Over the pari- occipitalis with a smooth relief show that the deformation etal bones and the squama occipitalis, however, the im- must have been caused by a combined circular bandage print of the pressure bandages could be noted, although that had exerted pressure in the direction from front to this was slightly indistinct. Most likely, the artificial skull back and from the upper to the lower part. The imprint of deformation, which is an oblique form of the anular type, the bandage was notable on the fontal, parietal, and oc- had been produced by combined circular bandages with cipital bones. The bandage had caused shortening of the frontooccipital and parietooccipital pressure directions. skull and had enlarged its height; an oblique form of the The second skull had belonged to a 40- to 45-year- so-called anular type. In the crossing point of the sagittal old man. Traces from the tightening bandages (with a 2 Neurosurg Focus / Volume 29 / December 2010 Unauthenticated | Downloaded 10/01/21 06:21 AM UTC Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformations FIG. 2. Maps showing geographical distribution of the Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformation in Bulgaria. The symbol ▲ designates excavations in Kabile, in southeast Bulgaria (4th–6th century; see Cholakov). Finds: 1 artificially deformed skull. The symbol ▼ designates excavations in the city of Varna, in the Black Sea region (5th–6th century; see Minkov and Boev). Finds: 1 artificially deformed skull. The symbol ► designates excavations in the village of Kyulevcha, in the Shumen region (8th–9th century; see Kondova et al.). Finds: 2 artificially deformed skulls. The symbol ◄ designates excavations near the city of Devnja, in the Black Sea region (end of the 9th century; see Kadanoff and Jordanov). Finds: 52 artificially deformed skulls. The symbol • designates excavations near Krivina village, in the Rousse region (11th century; see Boev and Minkov). Finds: 1 artificially deformed skull. width of approximately 5 cm), were found on the squama in both the occipitoparietal and temporoclinoidal parts of frontalis, on the parietal bones over the lambda, and
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