Cephasylogy and "Trophy Heads" in Fremont Culture

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Images of the Uinta Fremont (A.D. 0 - 1300)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The presence of flayed scalps, severed heads, and ears (henceforth referred to as cephasiles) preserved in the archaeological record of the Southwest United States suggest a greater diversity in significance than simply a status-granting warrior’s symbol, as previously thought. In this paper the author makes an argument in favor of three broad categories of cephasiles, depending on the purpose of the cephasile; those wherein the purpose of the cephasile is for the benefit of the crafter/carrier, those wherein the benefit is for the deceased, and those wherein the benefit is for the community. The following work is primarily concerned with the Basketmaker and Fremont cultures, but the practices of Uto-Aztecan cultures broadly are considered.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Images of the Uinta Fremont (A.D. 0 - 1300)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 54105