A traditional ancient Korean casket , discovered in a 6th - hundred tomb , has been cracked open to reveal the dusty remains of a woman with an oddly stretch skull .
Discovering ancient stretch skulls is not actually rare . However , unlike the bulk of these find , the investigator do n’t believe this skull was “ stretched ” through a ethnic practice of " artificial cranial deformation " . The findings , led by Seoul National University , are publish in the journalPLOS ONE .
The squad of bioanthropologists discover the clay in Gyeongju , modernistic - day South Korea . The gender and years were set by analyzing the hip bone and tooth , which revealed it was a woman who had died sometime in her late thirties . Further depth psychology showed that it ’s probable she lived during the sixth century CE in the Silla Kingdom , a dynasty that ruled over the Korean Peninsula from 57 BCE to 935 CE .
The fragment of the skull notice , before its reconstruction . effigy credit : Seoul National University / PLOS ONE
The carbon paper isotopes present in her bone showed that she most in all probability live on a strict vegetarian diet – namely of wheat and Elmer Leopold Rice – which would make common sense considering the preponderance of Buddhism ’s influence across the Silla Kingdom .
Mitochondrial DNA depth psychology , taken from the woman ’s femur off-white , exhibit that this fair sex is from an uncommon transmissible lineage that still survive in East Asia today , Live Sciencereports .
However , when it number to studying the woman ’s skull , they noticed something was slightly off .
The researchers slot back together the mystifier pieces of her skull using 3D imaging techniques . Along with giving an insight into how the charwoman looked , the 3D simulation and physical reconstruction of the skull showed that the skull was unusually elongated , with a much longer , narrow , and lower brainpan than those of modern Korean adult .
So what could explain this exotic - like property ? Skull deformation has been practise inmany corners of the ancient world , from prehistoric Australia to 19th hundred South America , for an array ethnical and spiritual ground . However , this Korean skull showed something different .
Digital Reconstruction Period of the skull . Image credit : Seoul National University / PLOS ONE
As well as the head being unusually long , the shape of the brainpan was not in descent with change triggered by stilted cranial deformation , as the skull did n’t feature any flat bones commonly seen in forcibly elongated head .
Eun Jin Woo , who co - authored the subject , toldLive Science:“The skull in this study did not show the shape change in ill-shapen cranium . In this regard , we think her head should be considered as normal variation in the group . ”
So , while the jury might be out on secret ancient stranger , the researcher believe that ancient Koreans live in the part during the Silla catamenia might have had remarkably stretch skull compared to modernistic - Clarence Day Koreans . Although they cede that more somebody from this geological era postulate to be studied , they hope this woman could aid detail the migration and lives ofpeople in ancient East Asia .
The skull pieced back together , illustrated the stretch oral sex . Seoul National University / PLOS ONE
