An overmodelled skull is a skull covered with various materials to reconstruct the appearance of a human head. This technique of art and religion is described in many countries throughout the ages.
A custom that has existed since the Neolithic era, it is widespread in Oceania and the Near East.[1] It originated as a cult of ancestors and consists of covering the dry skull with a plastic material, such as earth, clay, ash, plaster or lime.[2] Skulls can be embellished with pigments, jewellery etc. Sometimes, skulls of animals are also over-modelled.[3]