Provider: Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

TY  - JOUR
JO  - Anthropologie (Brno)
TI  - Künstliche Eingriffe an Schädeln aus den spätrömischen bis frühbyzantinischen Gräberfeldern in Sayala (Ägyptisch-Nubien)
AU  - Strouhal E
AU  - Jungwirth J
Y1  - 1981
VL  - 19
IS  - 2
PB  - Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
SN  - 0323-1119
SP  - 149
EP  - 160
KW  - 
N2  - 
N2  - Artificial Interventions in Skulls from the Late Roman-Early Byzantine Cemeteries at Saya-la (Egyptian Nubia).
In the material front five Late Roman-Early Byzantine cemeteries at Sayala (n = 451 persons) charac¬teristic flat round depressions were found on the skulls of 12.2 % individuals. They occurred frequently in the burial complexes C I—III and in males from cemetery N, being rare in cemetery A and in females from cemetery N. Altogether the depressions were present three limes more often in males than in females. They were rare among children and adolescents, but their frequency gradually increased in adult age. They were loca¬lised solely on the cranial convexity, one half of them on the frontal scale, more often left than right, less than one half on the parietals and a few on the occipital scale. The dimensions of the depressions were fairly uniform. Their morphological features i.e. the outline, form of the excavation and the bottom (with signs of intravital reaction) also showed only limited variations. Similar depressions have been described in litera¬ture as partial or symbolic trephinations. We suggest, however, that they could have been the result of cau¬terization, practised as therapeutic or prophylactic means also among recent Nubians.
ER  -