Teeth from the trophy heads and from the mummified bodies showed no substantial differences in the ratios of these substances, showing that the trophy heads came from the Nazca themselves rather than from outsiders. "Our data do not support the hypothesis that Nazca trophy heads were taken from enemy warriors from foreign locales...We argue that transforming local Nazca individuals into trophy heads highlights their ritual role," the researchers concluded. However, the researchers do not completely rule out war as the source of the heads, since the heads could have been collected from warring in the Nazca area. "It is possible that the role of the trophy heads changed over time. It is possible that these individuals were sacrificed, but we don't have any evidence for that," Knudson said. Giuseppe Orefici, an archaeologist who has spent decades excavating Cahuachi, the Nazca's most important ceremonial center, is not surprised by the results of the biochemical study. "In 26 years of digging at Cahuachi, we have never come across any head used as a war trophy. We are rather talking of 'offering heads' used in rituals. They belong to people of both sexes and in most cases they have been buried inside the ceremonial center. The images of disembodied heads in pottery and textiles are either representations of myths or indicate the high social status of the people who carry them," Orefici told Discovery News. Related Links: |
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