Mysterious trophy trophy in South America

The mystery of why ancient South Americans, who created the scene of Nazca Lines (Nazca Lines), also gathered skulls like trophies that had long ago caused scholars a headache. They hypothesize that these skulls are used in rituals, are spoils of enemies in battle or are related to reverence for ancestors.

A recent study using specimens from the Field Museum of Chicago has given a new explanation to this problem. They verify that the trophy skulls are for those who live in the same place and are part of the same culture as those who collect them. These people lived 2,000 to 1,500 years ago.

Archaeologists claim that these skulls are trophies because many holes have been carved into the skull so that these skulls can be hung with small ropes.There has been a lot of controversy over the past 100 years about the meaning of this.

The skulls in the Field collection were collected by the famous archaeologist Alfred Louis Kroeber (1876-1960) from the Nazca Drainage of the dry, costly Southern Peruvian coast 80 years ago. He also collected the remains of some people buried normally. In some cases, trophy skulls are buried with the collector.

Because Nazca is one of the driest areas on Earth, said Ryan Williams, Field Museum curator, Kroeber's specimens collected are very well preserved.The corpses are naturally marinated and some skulls still have hair as well as ropes attached to the skull. The museum also has some of Nazca's belongings illustrated with skulls; Some jars are displayed at the museum's ancient European exhibition.

Williams said: 'Illustrations on some pots, the bottle represents warriors along with trophy heads. However, there are some illustrations that show the connection between the skulls and the fertility of crops. Some mythical animals carrying trophy skulls are also shown on some pottery '.

Nasca trophy skull from a grave in Cahuachi. (Photo: Field Museum).

Scientists believe that if these skulls were trophies in battle, they must come from people living somewhere outside the Nazca region. To test this, scientists sampled that from 16 skulls in the Field collection and 13 mummies buried in the Nazca area. The results show that these skulls are those of people who live in the same place as those who collect skulls.This conclusion is based on research using modern technology to find the smallest difference among the three elements found in specimens. These elements - strontium, oxygen, and carbon - exhibit slightly different atomic structures depending on geographical location.

Williams says: 'You are what you eat, and the elements you consume become part of the chemical markers in your bones.'

Consumers of food produced in different regions will have different strontium isotope ratios in their bones. Carbon exhibits different isotope cycles depending on the plants that make it. Carbon from corn is different from carbon from wheat. Oxygen in the water has isotopic indicators depending on the climate, altitude and other factors.

Williams said: 'We use the latest technology to study the specimens collected 80 years ago. This is a testament to the value of preserving a large number of museum collections'.

Scientists from Arizona State University, Illinois University in Chicago, and Indiana University collaborated with Williams to carry out the study, published in the Anthropological Archeology magazine. The main author is Arizona State University professor, Kelly Knudson.

There are still many things to learn.Determining why the Nazca people collected skulls could have important implications in understanding the civilization process in South America. Williams commented: 'Most of the trophy skulls come from the same population with their owners. They can be spoils of war, maybe war has occurred between communities within the same ethnic group, or it could be a ritual '. New data on the change of trophy skulls collected by the Nazca over time may play an important role in understanding the development of politics in ancient society.

Williams commented: 'The small-scale farming society was occupied by an empire. For the first time, the people there were dominated by others, hundreds of miles away. Studying this process can help us better understand how the first governments were formed. '