[Aztlan] New findings on Nazca trophy heads

[michael ruggeri]

Listeros,

New evidence suggests the Nazca obtained ritual skulls by beheading  
some of their own people, not foreign warriors. Many of the trophy  
heads were taken to spur crop growth says Kelly Knudson of Arizona  
State University. He has analyzed diet-related substances in the teeth  
of the trophy heads. It is not clear whether the trophy heads were  
taken from other local Nazca groups fighting each other or from within  
one group but it looks like the heads are of ancestors and not outside  
enemies. 150 Nazca trophy heads have been excavated so far often in  
caches of as many as 48 skulls in graves as offerings to the dead and  
in public buildings. Some were women and teenagers.

Strontium, oxygen and carbon in the teeth of the heads were compared  
from Nazca heads at the Field Museum and from ones in Peru and it  
became clear that many of the folks beheaded lived in the same general  
area. DNA sequences are also very close in the two sets of heads.

Science News has the story here;
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/39475/title/Taking_trophy_heads_close_to_home

Tiny URL;
http://tinyurl.com/3zafqn

Mike Ruggeri



Mike Ruggeri's The Ancient Americas Breaking News
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