新疆库车友谊路墓群人工变形颅的新发现

New discoveries on artificially deformed skulls in the Youyilu cemetery,Kucha,Xinjiang

新疆库车友谊路墓群2021~2022年度发掘的魏晋南北朝时期墓葬中,发现了54例人工变形颅。颅骨人工变形,是世界范围内普遍存在、历史悠久的一种文化属性与生物属性相互影响、相互作用的特殊习俗。其出现原因和表现形式,是学界持续关注的问题。本次发现的变形颅,是新疆地区迄今为止数量最大、形制最多样的新发现。经形态学研究,初步得到以下认识:该人群的颅骨变形模式可区分为枕型、额枕型、环型三种;变形个体与未变形个体的埋葬习俗不存在明显差异,不同起源的审美意识,可能是多种变形模式共存的主要原因,“多型共存”是多来源人群共处交融的具象表现;枕型变和额枕型变的个体,其起源可能与中亚地区古代人群相关。环型变个体的出现,可能是受到了北方草原地区游牧人群的影响。

During the 2021-2022 excavation session of burials from Wei,Jin,and Northern and Southern Dynasties period at the Youyilu cemetery,Kucha,54 cases of artificially deformed skulls were discovered.Artificial cranial deformation is a long-standing cultural tradition that possesses both biological and cultural significance and has been practiced worldwide.The underlying causes for the behaviour and its forms of expression have been subjects of continuous scholarly attention.Our discovery in Kucha represents the largest and most diverse repertoire of deformed skulls in Xinjiang to date.Morphological studies have produced the following preliminary conclusions:The deformational patterns of the skulls can be categorised into three types-occipital,frontal-occipital,and annular.No significant differences in burial treatments were observed between individuals with deformed skulls and those without.Aesthetic preferences from different origins may have been the main contributing factor to the coexistence of multiple deformation patterns.This phenomenon of the concurrence of heterogeneity is a tangible reflection of the integration of populations from diverse origins.Individuals with occipital and frontal-occipital deformations may have connections to the ancient populations of Central Asia,while the appearance of annular deformation skulls may suggest influences from the nomadic groups of the northern steppe regions.