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Head in Hands: Notes on the Extraction and Display of Human Heads

Many scholars have remarked on the impressive size and abilities of the human brain, but few have understood the otherworldly allure of the human head. The head is the focal point of social interaction in life – its center of attention is communicated through its eyes, meaning is conveyed by its facial expressions, and language is emitted from its mouth, heard by its ears and interpreted by its brain. In death, it may be no less important; often functioning as an object of veneration or a trophy to be secured by the enemies of its owner.

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Articles of Interest

A human head transplant would be reckless and ghastly. It’s time to talk about it.

Two surgeons based in China say such surgery is “imminent.”

Anatomy of the Human Head with Charles Hu

Charles discusses the primary muscle groups of the human head, demonstrating each muscle's primary motion.

Dissecting a Human Head Through Anatomical Illustrations

In the past, we've featured many human anatomy posts, from anatomical pop-up books to intricate paper models, but there's an unfathomable beauty to the human head and its inner workings that warrants its own gallery.

Five senses in the human head

With the five sense organs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin, the human being receives stimuli, transforms them into electrical nerve impulses which are then transmitted to the brain. There they are processed, classified and interpreted.

Head to Toe

“The head presents an interesting evolutionary paradox,” explains Lieberman, chair of the new department of human evolutionary biology, “because on the one hand it is so complicated that if anything goes wrong, the organism dies. On the other hand, it is where natural selection can and has acted powerfully to make us what we are.” Everything is closely connected. For example, the roof of the orbits is the floor of the brain—if one changes, they both do.

How Long Does a Human Head Actually Remain Conscious After Being Cut Off?

When Jean-Paul Marat's killer, Charlotte Corday, was executed by guillotine in 1793, a man named Francois le Gros allegedly lifted her head and slapped both cheeks. Onlookers claimed that Corday's face took on an angry expression and her cheeks became flushed. There are other reports from history of severed heads that seem to have shown signs of consciousness.

How Many Hairs Are on a Human Head?

Have you ever sat and wondered about just exactly how much hair you have on your head at the moment? It may seem impossible to painstakingly go through each strand of hair on your head (without getting lost of track). But you’re in luck - Revela has done the research so you can find out just how much.

How much does your head weigh?

Believe it or not, the average human head weighs around 5kg or 11lbs. That’s more than most new-born babies and all that is balanced on just 7 vertebrae in your neck and supported by around 20 muscles that are responsible for moving your head around and keeping that weight in place.

Is it possible for your head to be too heavy?

Here's a hint: when people call you big headed they aren't telling you to measure the weight of your noggin.

Muscles and Planes of the Human Head

The muscles and planes of the human head give you a good indication of what the general shape of the human skull/head is. It also helps you position everything on the head correctly. It helps with native proportion to the head.

The Curious Hole in My Head

Born without my left temporal lobe, a brain region thought to be critical for language, I’ve been a research subject for much of my life.

The Evolution of the Human Head

In one sense, human heads function much like those of other mammals. We use them to chew, smell, swallow, think, hear, and so on. But, in other respects, the human head is quite unusual. Unlike the heads of other animals, even our great ape cousins, our heads are short and wide, very big brained, snoutless, largely furless, and perched on a short, nearly vertical neck.

The Gauls really did embalm the severed heads of enemies, research shows

New chemical analysis of iron age skulls confirms the grisly practice, referred to in ancient texts.

The Shape of Your Head and the Shape of Your Mind

How the archaic study of brain shape and head reading — the origin of terms like “highbrow” and “lowbrow,” “well rounded,” and “shrink” — shaped the modern obsession with the mind. One reason phrenology attracted so many followers was that it seemed to provide the toolbox for the American dream.