Scientists at Germany’s National Academy of Sciences have discovered the bizarre ‘cone-shaped skulls’ belonged to tortured brides. It is believed the women’s heads were wrapped in early childhood to transform the skull into an egg shape. Body modification was once seen as a sign of beauty and nobility, according to the findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The report said: “Artificial cranial deformation, which is only possible during early childhood, is a deliberate and permanent shaping of the head performed with great effort. “In some societies reshaping the human skull has been seen as an ideal of beauty, while it may also have acted as a marker of status, nobility, or affliction to a certain class or group.”