Andean People Already Perfected Skull Surgery Thousands of Years Ago

But, hey, wait… what’s an elongated skull anyway? Well, it’s achieved by distorting the normal growth of a child’s skull by applying force. Terrifying, isn’t it?

Even though it might sound gross today, deforming the skull intentionally predates written history. The practice was widespread in a number of cultures in different geographic locations and times, still occuring today in a few areas, including Vanatu. The most prominent examples include some extremely elongated skulls discovered in Peru in the 1920s by Peruvian archaeologist, Julio Tello. Scientists believe the intentional deformation was practiced by ancient Peruvians because of spiritual or religious reasons, in an effort to look more like their deities.