Artificial Cranial Deformation

 

Artificial Cranial Deformation or head flattening/binding is a form of cranial modification where the head is bound to elongate the skull. This is genuinely the strangest human behavior I have seen and the result can only be described as ‘alien’.

The skull is modified by binding the head with planks of wood or cloth and is typically carried out on infants starting at a month old and continues for about 6 months or until the desired shape is achieved These contraptions remind me of medieval torture devices.

This extreme form of cranial deformation was most likely used to “signify group affiliation or to demonstrate social status”. Read more on Wiki.