Decapitation Applications and Interpretation in the Light of Archaeological Sources and Historical Data

Year 2024, , 199 - 220, 30.06.2024

Serdar Özbilen

https://doi.org/10.21497/sefad.1343627

Abstract

Decapitation refers to the deliberate or accidental separation of the head from the body. When attached to the body, the head is easily recognizable as an individual who probably has many roles and identities in society. The decapitation is obviously a complex phenomenon in many ways, as a transition into a symbolic space. The separation of the head from the body in a sense creates a new life for this part of the human form. For this reason, we can see that decapitation practices have existed starting from prehistory, and the meanings attributed to it have changed from society to society. It is really difficult to answer the questions of how to interpret the peri-mortem and post-mortem practices, which vary according to the place and geography they are exercised. In particular, it is much more difficult to interpret the decomposed prehistoric skulls in comparison to the examples from the same historical period. For this reason, archaeology should be in cooperation with disciplines such as anthropology, bio-archaeology and ethnography with an interdisciplinary method. This study presents an investigation of the available evidence about disembodied heads in the light of archaeological sources and historical data, both from prehistoric and historical periods to the present, as well as discussions about whatbeheading and disrupting the integrity of the human form in these cultures mean.

Keywords

Decapitation practices, Ancient Near East, Çatalhöyük, Neo-Assyria, violence

Arkeolojik Kaynaklar ve Tarihsel Veriler Işığında Kafa Kesme Uygulamaları ve Yorumlanması

Abstract

Dekapitasyon, başın vücuttan kasıtlı veya kazara ayrılmasını ifade eder. Vücuda eklendiğinde, kafa, toplumda muhtemelen birçok rol ve kimliğe sahip olan bir birey olarak kolayca tanınabilir. Başın kesilmesi, sembolik bir alana geçiş şeklinde pek çok açıdan karmaşık bir olgudur. Başın vücuttan ayrılması, bir anlamda insan formunun bu kısmı için yeni bir yaşam oluşturur. Bu nedenle baş kesme uygulamalarının tarih öncesinden başlayarak tarih boyunca var olduğunu ve buna dair yüklenilen anlamların toplumdan topluma değiştiğini görebilmekteyiz. Bağlı bulunan mekân ve coğrafyaya göre değişkenlik arz eden peri-mortem (ölüm öncesi) ve post-mortem (ölüm sonrası) uygulamaların nasıl yorumlanması gerektiği şeklindeki soruları yanıtlamak gerçekten de zordur. Özellikle bedenden ayrıştırılmış tarih öncesi kafataslarını tarihi devir örneklerine göre yorumlamak çok daha zordur. Sadece arkeolojik veriler ışığında, "kafatası kültü" olarak adlandırılan şey içinde, neyin cenaze ve neyin ganimet olduğunu ayırt etmek imkânsızdır. Bu nedenle arkeolojinin disiplinler arası metot ile antropoloji, biyo-arkeoloji ve etnografya gibi bilim dallarıyla iş birliği halinde olması gerekmektedir. Bu çalışma, arkeolojik kaynaklar ve tarihsel veriler ışığında hem tarih öncesi hem de tarihi devirlerden günümüze kadar bedensiz kafalar hakkında mevcut kanıtların bir araştırmasını, hem de bu kültürlerde kafa kesmenin ve böylece insan formunun bütünlüğünü bozmanın ne anlama geldiğine dair tartışmaları sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Kafa kesme uygulamaları, Eski Yakın Doğu, Çatalhöyük, Yeni Asur, şiddet

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