Paleoneurosurgical aspects of Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformations

Abstract

Paleoneurosurgery represents a comparatively new developing direction of neurosurgery dealing with archaeological skull and spine finds and studying their neurosurgical aspects. Artificial skull deformation, as a bone artifact, naturally has been one of the main paleoneurosurgical research topics. Traditionally, the relevant neurosurgical literature has analyzed in detail the intentional skull deformations in South America's tribes. However, little is known about the artificial skull deformations of the Proto-Bulgarians, and what information exists is mostly due to anthropological studies. The Proto-Bulgarians originated from Central Asia, and distributed their skull deformation ritual on the Balkan Peninsula by their migration and domination. Proto-Bulgarian artificial skull deformation was an erect or oblique form of the anular type, and was achieved by 1 or 2 pressure bandages that were tightened around a newborn's head for a sufficiently long period. The intentional skull deformation in Proto-Bulgarians was not associated with neurological deficits and/or mental retardation. No indirect signs of chronic elevated intracranial pressure were found on the 3D CT reconstruction of the artificially deformed skulls.