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Krapina 3: Cut Marks and Ritual Behavior?

Frayer, David W.
Orschiedt, Jörg
Cook, Jill
Russell, Mary Doria
Radovčić, Jakov
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Abstract
Incisions on the frontal of the Krapina 3 cranium differ from other cut marks from the site. Thirty-five, mostly parallel marks course up the frontal from right of the midline, just posterior to the supraorbitale point to left of the midline, slightly anterior to bregma. They are angled mostly perpendicular to the midsagittal plane, averaging 5.2 mm in length and are on average 1.2 mm apart. The marks' characteristics are not consistent with scalping, cannibalism, defleshing or other perimortem activities described for Neandertals or modern groups. These marks represent a type of funereal behavior yet to be documented in Neandertals and suggest a kind of ritual treatment of the deceased.
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Date
2006-08
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Publisher
Croatian Society of Natural Sciences
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Keywords
Krapina 3, Cut marks, Ritual treatment of the dead
Citation
2006f Krapina 3: Cut marks and ritual behavior? (with J. Orschiedt, J. Cook, M.D. Russell and J. Radovčić.) Periodicum biologorum  108: 519-524.
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