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Boards and Cords

An Anthropological Study of Cranial Modification
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Archaeological evidence and ethnohistoric accounts document ancient groups from around the world intentionally binding their infants' head in one of two manners. Soon after birth they would either strap hard, flat devices (e.g., boards) to both the front and back of the infant's head, or wrap tight bandages (e.g., cords) around the head. The result is a permanently modified, adult head. In Boards and Cords, bioarchaeologist and skeletal biologist, Tyler G. O'Brien, explores the long-practiced, biocultural phenomenon of intentional cranial modification via an anthropological lens. An introductory chapter offers briefly summarized answers to main questions often asked about cranial modification. The book then covers normal cranial growth and development to set the groundwork for understanding better how scientists interpret abnormally shaped pathological skulls from those that are modified. What follows is a thorough exploration of archaeological evidence and ethnohistoric accounts beginning with the earliest modified skulls, found at sites dating back 20,000 years, and continuing to today's modern-day use of the cranial orthotic helmet as corrective treatment for infants with deformational plagiocephaly. This book is a valuable multidisciplinary tool for the student and scholar who wants to read a global account of intentional cranial modification.
Tyler G. O'Brien is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Northern Iowa. His research focuses on human skeletal biology with emphases in forensic anthropology and bioarchaeology, and he has published in American Journal of Physical Anthropology, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, and the Journal of Forensic Sciences. O'Brien's research includes excavation in the Bolivian altiplano and cranial data collection at museums in Bolivia and Argentina. He has examined close to 1,500 human skulls from across North and South America.
Well-referenced with much critical evaluation, this short and highly readable text is impressive in the breadth of its coverage both geographically and temporally. The discussion of the clinical aspects of modification, including those in modern settings, is an especially valuable contribution to the literature. --Marie Danforth, University of Southern Mississippi
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