Bucranium

The Bukranion (plural: bucrania ) (gr. το βουκράνιον, cattle skull ) is also called cow skull or Aaskopf. The classical archeology thus describes the simulation of a cattle skull is as a decorative motif. Aigikranion called a goat or ram skull for that purpose.

Classical Archaeology

The Bukranion can be painted in frontal view or plastic and is found in both naturalistic and stylized in designs. At least initially, it refers to sacrificial animals. The classic Bukranion has been known since the 4th century BC and was frequently used in Hellenistic and by the Romans as an ornament.

In Hellenistic and Roman decorations each skull are often called by about hung garlands, festoons also, and disposed therebetween shells or rosettes connected to a continuous bucrania frieze. As an example of a Roman building can be the tomb of Cecilia Metella lead. Frequently Bukranienfriese can also be found in the Roman wall painting.

Since the Renaissance the subject was taken up as a decorative element, as, inter alia, in architecture and in furniture such as tables or cupboards as Bukranionfries. This also applies to the Aigikranionfries.

Prehistory

By James Mellaart bull horn pillars or replicas of bull horns in Çatalhöyük were called bucrania G. Daniel took the name in his encyclopedia.

A convincing proof of cattle skulls as Bauornament comes from the Pfyn Culture and was found in layer III of the wet soil settlement Arbon bleach in Switzerland Arbon. Here forehead 22 skulls have been discovered with total horn cores, where the rest of the cranium was apparently separated with a blunt instrument. It was 14 cows, six goats, a great and a bison. These parts of the skull were mostly found near the house walls, houses with up to four skulls could be provided. Deer skull as Bauornamente, but inside the house are demonstrated in the field of Vinca culture, eg in Uivar, Romania. Cattle skulls stand around like a Cheval de friese an approximately 4000 year old grave hills near the Sudanese town of Kerma.

Ethnography

In some municipalities of Switzerland today skulls of cattle and goats are attached to the outer walls of the stables.