Literary records indicate that ancient China had five types of physical penalties. These included nasal amputation, although researchers had yet to find archaeological evidence of criminals subjected to this punishment—until now.
Back in 2018, a team of Chinese archaeologists surveyed an ancient cemetery in Sanmexia, Henan Province. Of the many samples they recovered, one female individual stood out from the rest. Not only was she buried face down, but her facial skeleton also showed signs of damage and healing around the nose—which indicated that her face was disfigured in some way, likely around the nose. Although other reasons (like an unfortunate accident) cannot be ruled out, thus far it seems most likely that the woman was subjected to intentional nasal amputation. The team recently published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.
“I was surprised by this discovery,” study co-author Qian Wang told Gizmodo. Although nasal amputation was acknowledged as part of ancient China’s “Five Punishments,” scientists had yet to find any scientific evidence for something that reportedly happened in history, added Wang, a paleoanthropologist at Texas A&M University.
The Five Punishments
According to the paper, mention of the Five Punishments appears in historical records as early as 2070 BCE. On a scale from (comparatively) minor to major offenses, these penalties included permanent tattoos, nasal amputation, cutting off the backside of each foot, emasculation, and the death sentence. The corresponding offenses varied throughout history; for instance, nose amputation could be dispatched for theft of livestock, desertion, or embezzlement, as per the study.
Of course, ancient China was far from being the only civilization at the time with gruesome physical punishments. And, much like its contemporaries, Chinese dynasties eventually phased out many of the most violent penalties. However, as records indicate, some aspects of corporal punishment persisted—at the very least until between the Yuan and Ming dynasties, according to the study.
Marked for life
Previous archaeological discoveries have suggested people survived these painful procedures, Wang explained. For instance, Wang was previously involved in the discovery of two ancient Chinese skeletons with amputated legs. Sima Qian, a legendary historian from the Han Dynasty, was apparently castrated and survived to tell the tale.
“Thus, we believed there was a patient care procedure for post-publishment management to stop bleeding, prevent infection, and reduce pain,” Wang explained. Accordingly, this woman “should have received a certain level of medical and health management to stop bleeding, prevent infection, and increase survivability.”
Indeed, signs of healing and bone spurs around the skeleton’s nose-sized holes support this idea, as well as the interpretation that the injury happened while the woman was alive. The individual was also buried facing down with just a bronze hairpin and not inside a family or communal tomb, Wang added. This likely means she was “cast away after death,” he said.
The mystery ensues
However, Wang noted that the study had a couple of limitations. For one, it’s currently impossible to conduct a comparative study of the skeleton, as—assuming the team’s interpretation is correct—this finding is the only known case of nasal amputation in China. The grave also didn’t have a headstone or inscriptions, and the medical literature from the Yuan Dynasty is limited.
These represent hurdles to locking down the exact details of the woman’s life or the medical procedures that helped her survive after her surgery, Wang said. But the discovery is part of a larger project, he added, so there’s a chance we’ll find more avenues for research in this area.
“Many more skeletons will be screened in the future for diseases and trauma,” he concluded. “Hopefully there will be more similar cases to be found in the future in a clearer archaeological context.”
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