Trophy heads may have been 'homegrown'

For almost 100 years, researchers have known that the ancient Nasca of South America took trophy heads. However, the origin of the modified skulls has long been debated.

After studying 16 trophy heads from 6 Nasca sites, Kelly Knudson, an archaeologist in Arizona State University’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and her team determined that the heads are those of Nasca individuals – not defeated enemies, as has been argued. The researchers based their assumption on diet-related substances in the teeth of the trophy heads.

The team’s findings were published online in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology and are highlighted in Science News.