Headless Bodies or Bodiless Heads

         

            Nasca trophy heads are fairly common artifacts found in burials; however, headless burials are almost a rarity in the region.  Their lack contrasts against the increase in the amount of trophy heads found of the Middle and Late Nasca, due to the warfare and conflict of the time.  Though archaeologist Deloeonardis believes their absence could be the result of the high percentage of looting in the region, it could also be do to different ways of disposing of the bodies. 

Many partial-body burials have been found buried apart from others or in caches.  These burials consist of skeletons missing a body part, disarticulated skeletons and body parts missing a skeleton.  Though this may explain some of the scarcity of headless bodies found in the Nasca, it does not account for all.  The few headless bodies that have been found have had their heads removed post mortem.  Few headless bodies have found decapitation to be the cause of death. 

Some of these have been found with head-replacement objects such as a ceramic head jar.  Ceramic head jars are fairly common artifacts in Nasca burials, but are seen as a rarity when found with headless burials.  A ceramic head jar is a pottery jar with image of a head and face, sometimes including turbans.  Burials with these ceramic head were purposeful burials, suggesting they were not a result of enemy combat or the warfare of the time.  It is believed that their deaths and decapitated burials could be the result of a sacrifice associated with agriculture fertility or a ritual of the time (Conlee). 

 

Nasca Ceramic Jar Head- commonly found in burials and occasionally found with decapitated skeletons (Conlee).

 

Skeletons as a result of decapitation were found in over have a dozen Neolithic sites in Anatolia.  The decapitated skulls were placed on altars and were believed to have links with the dead and possibly had the powers of the deceased.  Like the Nasca, more decapitated skulls have been found in Anatolia, then headless bodies.  The headless bodies were found in beneath floorboards of houses instead of placed upon altars.  One of these had a large round stone placed at the head of the skeleton suggesting a possible representation of the missing head.  The Nasca headless bodies with ceramic head jars were said to be non-conflict related decapitation, because of the care taken to bury the body.  The same is suggested in Anatolia and the large round stone head-representation (Talalay).

Conlee, Christina A. 2007. Decapitation and Rebirth: A Headless Burial in Nasca, Peru. Department of Anthropology: Texas State University.

Talalay, Lauren E. 2007. Heady Business: Skulls, Heads, and Decapitation in Neolithic Anatolia and Greece.  Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan