Skull cup

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/skull-cup

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the oldest dated specimen?14,700 cal BP (circa 12,750 BC), discovered at Gough's Cave, Somerset, England
2. What is the primary material?Human calvaria (the upper part of the skull)
3. How do people make a skull cup?First, they separate the skull's top part from the rest using stone tools. Then they cut away soft tissue and polish the edge to make it smooth and safe to use.
4. When did people first make skull cups?The oldest known skull cup was found in Gough's Cave in England and is about 14,700 years old, from the Upper Paleolithic period.

Calvaria: The rounded upper portion of the skull that encloses the brain.
Material Culture: The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.
Mortuary Practices: The customs and rituals associated with the death and disposal of the dead.
Upper Paleolithic: A period of prehistory characterized by advanced stone tool technology and early forms of art.