Early European evidence of artificial cranial modification from the Italian Late Upper Palaeolithic Arene Candide Cave.

ABSTRACT: This study reports on early Eurasian evidence of artificial cranial modification (ACM) in a Late Upper Palaeolithic (LUP) individual (AC12) from Arene Candide Cave, Italy (ca. 12,620-12,190 Cal BP). We used virtual anthropology and geometric morphometrics to compare AC12's cranial morphology with LUP, Mesolithic, and Neolithic Italian specimens, pathologically modified individuals, and a global sample of ACM cases. Our analyses consistently demonstrate a strong affinity between AC12 and the ACM group, distinct from other comparative samples. Statistical analyses confirm AC12 as a clear outlier for non-ACM groups, with high probabilities of belonging to the ACM cluster. This discovery provides evidence suggesting an earlier origin of ACM on the continent, confirming that this globally distr

SUBMITTER: Mori T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12310970 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature