From the Eurasian steppe to the Lower Danube: the tradition of intentional cranial deformation during the Bronze Age

Abstract

With origins in Late Palaeolithic, intentional cranial deformation is a well-known custom throughout humankind history. In this article, we discuss the most ancient find of this type known north of the Lower Danube, yielded by a burial mound investigated at Smeeni (Buzău County, southern Romania). The find, dated to the first half of the 3rd millennium BC, is assigned to the Yamnaya communities of Eurasian steppe origin. The overview assessment of the general context is followed by the presentation of the case study, research methods, tools, and obtained results. We address both chronological and geographic dynamics aspects of this human behaviour, present on all continents across history. We analyse the custom in correlation with the impact of the north-Pontic steppe populations on Europe, which involved the continent in fundamental transformations. The Old Europe of the Neolithic civilisations had reached its end, as the Bronze Age emerged. Other social landmarks, burial standards, traditions, and customs become prevalent. Concurrently, the backflow of these steppe populations eastwards turns the custom of intentional cranial deformation marginal among local communities. With other migratory episodes with origins in the same geographical area, the custom is found in this region in other populations such as the Scythians, the Sarmatians, the Huns/Gepids (the Hunnic-Gepid elite), and the Avars.