700-year-old skeleton may be first physical proof of nose amputation in imperial China

Archaeologists have uncovered a medieval Chinese skeleton that may finally offer physical proof of a brutal punishment long described in historical records: cutting off a person's nose. The practice was one of several creative and marking forms of punishment used by ancient Chinese authorities, but until now no skeletal remains had been found to confirm it.

Both Phys.org and New Scientist agree that this skeleton appears to be the first physical evidence of nose amputation. However, they differ slightly in how certain they are: Phys.org says the skeleton "may reveal" the first evidence, while New Scientist states that it "shows" a woman had her nose amputated. The New Scientist report also specifies that the skeleton is about 700 years old and belonged to a woman, details not confirmed in the Phys.org article.

The finding is significant because it connects written accounts of punitive amputation to actual human remains for the first time. This could help historians better understand how such punishments were carried out and how common they may have been in imperial China.