Ancient skull hints at nose-cutting punishment in medieval China
A 700-year-old female skeleton from a cemetery in Henan province shows damage to the nasal area, possibly from nose removal as a punishment. She was buried face down, a practice sometimes used for criminals, and was the only such burial among 213 graves. Radiocarbon dating places her death between 1298 and 1404 CE, and CT scans are being used to examine the nasal cavity.
The Sanzhiyuan Cemetery excavation in 2019 yielded 213 burials, yet this woman's grave stood apart in two ways: she was the sole individual interred face down, and the only one bearing facial mutilation. Her age at death, roughly 40 to 45, combined with radiocarbon dating spanning the late Yuan to early Ming dynasties, places her life in a period of political transition.
CT imaging revealed that delicate nasal structures had been cleanly removed, with no accompanying fractures to the surrounding face or damage to her teeth—a pattern inconsistent with accidental injury. Bone healing and new growth around the nasal opening indicate she lived for years afterward. Isotopic analysis of her bones, showing a millet-based diet low in animal protein, suggests she belonged to the commoner class rather than the elite.
This discovery could reshape how historians understand punitive practices in medieval China, offering the first physical corroboration for punishments long described in written records. It may also prompt broader discussions about the lived experiences of those who survived judicial mutilation, as the woman's years of post-punishment survival suggest some form of community or institutional care existed. Scholars and archaeologists may use this case to reassess other atypical burials, potentially revealing more evidence of legal penalties in ancient societies.