Doctor Curmudgeon: Why?

By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAP Doctor Eisman is in Family Practice in Aventura, Florida with her partner, Dr. Eugene Eisman, an internist/cardiologist

Our ancestors had some strange practices. Something puzzling happened during the Iron Age in the Iberian Peninsula. Severed skulls were found with large iron nails or spikes driven from foreheads through to the occipital bones.

I wondered why this strange practice had occurred. And I discovered that I was not alone in my curiosity.

Archeologists, too, have been wondering. And when archeologists wonder, they begin searching for answers.

Fortunately my inquisitiveness has been somewhat satisfied by an article in the venerable Journal of Archeological Sciences. Strontium and oxygen isotope analysis was used to detect the origin of severed heads found on the southeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

We ingest strontium and oxygen through what we eat and drink, replacing some of the calcium in our bones and teeth. It is the ratio of these isotopes that varies according to the region in which we live. And the ratios remain constant throughout our lives. Such a neat way to determine where these heads came from and what they ate!

But why was this strange practice of driving nails or spikes being done?

The origin of these skulls gives a clue to this ritual. The analysis gave information that the skulls were from two different locations. Some were local to the region and others were from another area. So, it seems likely that nails were driven into them for different reasons. And the “why” becomes more complex.

Some older studies have theorized that the heads were nailed onto a wall and prominently displayed as trophies of war. It is thought that these severed heads were placed on city gates in an effort to intimidate intruders.

Other archeologists believe that this ritual was used to honor local individuals who were important to the community.

The practice is still puzzling. Ruben de la Fuente-Seoane of the Autonomous University of Barcelona commented that, “If they were war trophies they would not come from the sites analyzed, while if they were venerated individuals, these would most likely be local.”

So, here is what we think we know: This ritual was likely used for two distinct purposes. When you came to the city gates you were intimidated by seeing a skull nailed to the wall and you would only enter for peaceful purposes. Or if you were a notable citizen, your skull would be pierced from forehead to occipital bone to honor you.

And as Winston Churchill is often quoted: “It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”

THE PHOTO IS OF A NAILED SKULL FROM THE ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM OF CATALONIA, ULLASTRET

Dr. Curmudgeon suggests “Bitter Medicine”, Dr. Eugene Eisman’s story of his experiences–from the humorous to the intense—as a young army doctor serving in the Vietnam War.
Bitter Medicine by Eugene H. Eisman, M.D. –on Amazon

Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.
SERMO www.sermo.com

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