Oldest Case of Ritual Decapitation Surfaces in Brazil

The earliest known case of decapitation was unearthed in Brazil on an excavation site. This site was discovered in 2007 where it was determined to be a grave going all the way back to the Holocene period, as per Discovery News.

According to BBC News, after the skull was excavated from the site in Eastern Brazil, it was taken to the Dundee University's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification. Scientists also revealed that it was definitely a case of decapitation but was done with basic tools that were available at that time. Sue Black, Dundee University professor examined the skull and determined fractures but said that it could also be severing of the head. However, the fracture in the neck bones is a clear indication of a violent decapitation. The remains have been dated back to 9000 years which is at least 6000 years before the oldest known decapitation uncovered in Peru.

Researchers claim that skull that was found at the archaeological site of Lapa do Santo in Brazil reveals a case of ritualized beheading, as reported by Business Standard. Lapa do Santo is an excavation site that has traces of human inhabitation as long back as 12,000 years. The researchers also claim that it looked more like a custom than trophy-taking.

The arrangement of hands on the face is a sign of an important public display trait that helped in social bonding of the community. The authors wrote that "This ritualized burial attests to the early sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas." It is the positioning of the hands that makes the authors believe that this could have been a part of the burial ritual, reports LA Times.