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. 2011 Feb 16;6(2):e17026.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017026.

Earliest directly-dated human skull-cups

Silvia M Bello  1 , Simon A Parfitt, Chris B Stringer
Affiliations

Earliest directly-dated human skull-cups

Silvia M Bello et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: The use of human braincases as drinking cups and containers has extensive historic and ethnographic documentation, but archaeological examples are extremely rare. In the Upper Palaeolithic of western Europe, cut-marked and broken human bones are widespread in the Magdalenian (∼15 to 12,000 years BP) and skull-cup preparation is an element of this tradition.

Principal findings: Here we describe the post-mortem processing of human heads at the Upper Palaeolithic site of Gough's Cave (Somerset, England) and identify a range of modifications associated with the production of skull-cups. New analyses of human remains from Gough's Cave demonstrate the skilled post-mortem manipulation of human bodies. Results of the research suggest the processing of cadavers for the consumption of body tissues (bone marrow), accompanied by meticulous shaping of cranial vaults. The distribution of cut-marks and percussion features indicates that the skulls were scrupulously 'cleaned' of any soft tissues, and subsequently modified by controlled removal of the facial region and breakage of the cranial base along a sub-horizontal plane. The vaults were also 'retouched', possibly to make the broken edges more regular. This manipulation suggests the shaping of skulls to produce skull-cups.

Conclusions: Three skull-cups have been identified amongst the human bones from Gough's Cave. New ultrafiltered radiocarbon determinations provide direct dates of about 14,700 cal BP, making these the oldest directly dated skull-cups and the only examples known from the British Isles.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Palaeogeographical context of Gough's Cave and other Magdalenian sites with human bone remains.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Cut-marks and percussion marks on cranial bones from Gough's Cave.
(A) cut-marks on frontal bone (GC3); (B) cut-marks on parietal GC 7(1.1/2); (C) cut-marks and percussion marks on temporal bone [GC 87 (8, 55)]; (D) cut-marks and percussion marks on occipital bone (GC2) (scale  =  10 mm). (a–f), Alicona three-dimensional (3D) images of human modifications (scale  =  1 mm). Arrows indicate percussion marks.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Cut-marks and percussion mark on a frontal bone from Gough's Cave.
Cut-marks (white arrows) and percussion marks (circled) on the frontal bone of GC2 (scale  =  10 mm). The percussion damage (circled) is the result of a carefully placed blow along the fronto-nasal suture to separate the facial bones from the vault.
Figure 4
Figure 4. View of the modified edges of a skull-cup from Gough's Cave.
(A) Skull-cup GC87(190 + GC87(162) (scale  =  50 mm) and (B) the portion of the cranial vault represented. (C) Exocranial and (D) endocranial views showing the modified edges of the vault. White arrows indicate percussion damage; Or.l  =  left orbit, Or.r  =  right orbit, Occ.  =  occipital.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Cut-marks and percussion marks on facial bones from Gough's Cave.
(A) Cut-marks and percussion marks on facial bones from Gough's Cave [GC 87(25), GC 87(29) and GC 87(87)] (scale  =  10 mm). (a–g), Alicona 3D images of human modifications (scale  =  1 mm). (B), photograph of percussion marks on the inferior labial border of the right central incisor (scale  =  5 mm).
Figure 6
Figure 6. Cut-marks and percussion marks on mandibles from Gough's Cave.
(A) Alicona 3D image of cut-marks and percussion mark (white arrow) along the anterior border of the mandible ramus of GC87(253), scale  =  5 mm. (B) Lunate scars (white arrows) on the lingual surface of the body of the mandible of CG(49); scale  =  10 mm.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Modification of human and non-human mandibles from Gough's Cave.
Human and non-human mandibles showing similar breakage patterns indicative of marrow extraction. (A) human; (B) red deer (Cervus elaphus); (C) wild horse (Equus ferus); (D) lynx (Lynx lynx). Scale 10 mm.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Distribution of percussion marks on cranial bones from Gough's Cave.
Distribution of percussion marks on the vault (black dots) and on smaller cranial fragments (grey dots).
Figure 9
Figure 9. Skull-cups from Gough's Cave.
Skull-cups from Gough's Cave showing the distribution of percussion marks (black dots) and post-deposition damage and recent breaks (dotted line). Scale 50 mm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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