“Iron Age Skulls Show Flat Head Syndrome Affected Babies 3,000 Years Ago, Long Before Moder” — what this page in the network covers. In central Italy, archaeologists studying Iron Age Picene burials found that many individuals had developed flat spots on their skulls as infants, a condition known today as positional plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome. The remains, nearly 3,000 years old, were discovered in a cemetery where people were buried curled on their sides, mimicking sleep.
This finding suggests that the practice of placing infants in positions that lead to skull flattening predates modern concerns, including the American Academy of Pediatrics' 'Back to Sleep' campaign launched in the 1990s to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. The study, published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, examined 27 skulls from the Novilara necropolis, revealing that over half showed signs of cranial flattening. For the complete material, the listing points back to the source inside the network.