Bucranium (; , , referring to the

skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...

of an ox) was a form of carved decoration commonly used in

Classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

. The name is generally considered to originate with the practice of displaying garlanded, sacrificial oxen, whose heads were displayed on the walls of temples, a practice dating back to the sophisticated

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

site of

Çatalhöyük Çatalhöyük (English: Chatalhoyuk ; ; also ''Çatal Höyük'' and ''Çatal Hüyük''; from Turkish language, Turkish ''çatal'' "fork" + ''höyük'' "tumulus") is a Tell (archaeology), tell (a mounded accretion resulting from long-term huma ...

in eastern

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, where cattle skulls were overlaid with white plaster.

Etymology and sphere of application

The word "bucranium" (

latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''bucranium'') comes from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

: βουκράνιον – being composed of βοῦς (''ox'') and κρανίον (''skull'') – and literally means "ox skull". Analogic, the Greek word αἰγικράνιον (''latin'' aegicranium) means a "goat skull", also used as a decorative element in architecture. The technical term "bucranium" was originally used in the description of classical architecture. Its application to the field of prehistoric archeology is relatively recent and is mainly due to the work of the British archaeologist James Mellaart dedicated to the

site of

. In 1977, Glyn Daniel established this new meaning of the term, introducing it into the ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of Archeology''.

Overview

In ancient Rome, bucrania were frequently used as

metope A metope (; ) is a rectangular architectural element of the Doric order, filling the space between triglyphs in a frieze , a decorative band above an architrave. In earlier wooden buildings the spaces between triglyphs were first open, and ...

s between the

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

s on the

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

s of temples designed with the Doric order of architecture. They were also used in bas-relief or painted decor to adorn marble altars, often draped or decorated with garlands of fruit or flowers, many of which have survived. A rich and festive Doric order was employed at the Basilica Aemilia on the

Roman Forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

; enough of it was standing for Giuliano da Sangallo to make a drawing, c 1520, reconstructing the facade (''Codex Vaticano Barberiniano Latino'' 4424); the alternation of the shallow libation dishes called ''

patera In the material culture of classical antiquity, a ''patera'' () or ''phiale'' ( ) is a shallow ceramic or metal libation bowl. It often has a bulbous indentation ('' omphalos'', "belly button") in the center underside to facilitate holding it, ...

e'' with bucrania in the metopes reinforced the solemn sacrificial theme. While the presence of bucrania was typically used with the Doric order, the Romans were not strict about this. In a first-century fresco from

Boscoreale Boscoreale (; ; "Royal Grove") is an Italian (municipality) and town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, with a population of 25,939 in 2022. Located in the Vesuvius National Park, under the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, it is known for th ...

, protected by the eruption of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...

and now at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, bucrania and cistae mysticae hang on ribbons from pegs that support garlands, evoking joyous ''

fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simi ...

''. At the

Temple of Vesta, Tivoli The so-called Temple of Vesta is a small circular Roman temple (so a tholos (architecture), ''tholos'') in Tivoli, Italy, dating to the early 1st century BC. Its ruins are dramatically sited on the acropolis of the Etruscan and Roman city, overl ...

, designed using the

Corinthian order The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric or ...

, motifs interpreted by the architect

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be on ...

as conventional skull bucrania adorn the frieze, although these are actually fleshed ox heads with eyes. Similarly, the Temple of Portunus in Rome, designed using the

Ionic order The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...

, has bucrania in its frieze. In later years, the motif was used to embellish buildings of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, and Neoclassical periods. Garlanded bucrania provide a repetitive motif in the plasterwork of the fine 18th-century Staircase Hall of The Vyne (Hampshire), inside the Pantheon at Stourhead (Wiltshire) and at

Lacock Abbey Lacock Abbey in the village of Lacock, Wiltshire, England, was founded in the early 13th century by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, as a nunnery of the Augustinian order. The abbey remained a nunnery until the Dissolution of the monasteries in ...

(Wiltshire).

Gallery

Ankara Muzeum B20-08.jpg,

bucrania from

, 7500-6400 BC, Museum of Anatolian Civilizations,

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

File:Pittore del bucranio, cratere a campana con scena di offerta, 375-350 ac ca, da rudiae.jpg,

bucrania on a bell krater from Rudiae with an offering scene, by the Bucranium Painter, 375-350 BC, ceramic, Museo archeologico Sigismondo Castromediano,

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

, Italy File:Delos Museum Relief Hermes Athene Apollon Artemis 01.jpg, Ancient Greek bucrania with

festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depicti ...

s on a relief with

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

and

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

, 125-100 BC, marble,

Archaeological Museum of Delos The Archaeological Museum of Delos () is a museum on the island of Delos, near Mykonos in the South Aegean, Greece. It is noted for its extensive collection of statues unearthed in the surrounding area of the ancient site, which has been declared a ...

Delos Delos (; ; ''Dêlos'', ''Dâlos''), is a small Greek island near Mykonos, close to the centre of the Cyclades archipelago. Though only in area, it is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. ...

, Greece File:Cylindrical funerary altar (Rhodes) 01.jpg,

bucrania on a cylindrical funerary altar, 2nd-1st centuries BC, Lartian stone, Archaeological Museum of Rhodes,

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

, Greece Obol, Keramos, Caria, 2nd century BC.jpg, Ancient Greek obol from Ceramus, with the head of the god

and a bucranium, 2 BC, probably silver, unknown location File:Fragment of the Trajaneum from Pergamon, 115-30 AD, Pergamon Museum, Berlin (02).jpg,

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

bucrania on an

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

of the Trajaneum from

Pergamon Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; ), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greece, ancient Greek city in Aeolis. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on the north s ...

Pergamon Museum The Pergamon Museum (; ) is a Kulturdenkmal , listed building on the Museum Island in the Mitte (locality), historic centre of Berlin, Germany. It was built from 1910 to 1930 by order of Emperor Wilhelm II, German Emperor, Wilhelm II and accordi ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, unknown architect or sculptor, 30 AD File:Temple of Vespasianus 1.jpg, Roman bucranium on a

of the

Temple of Vespasian and Titus The Temple of Vespasian and Titus (,Platner, Samuel B., and Ashby, Thomas. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. London: Oxford UP, 1929; p. 556. ) is located in Rome at the western end of the Roman Forum between the Temple of Concordi ...

, Rome, unknown architect, 79-87 Frise aux bucranes.jpg, Roman bucranium with a

and ribbons, unknown architect, late 1st century, marble, Narbo Via Museum,

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

, France File:Arte romana, urnetta con iscrizione funebre per popilia ianuaria, II-III sec ca. 01.JPG, Roman bucrania on an urn with funerary inscription, 2nd-3rd century, probably marble, Villa Corsini a Castello, near

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy File:6266 - Bologna - Cortile di Palazzo d'Accursio - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 9-Feb-2008.jpg,

bucrania on an entablature of the Palazzo d'Accursio,

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Italy, designed by Fioravante Fioravanti, 15th century File:Jan Gossaert - Neptune and Amphitrite - Google Art Project.jpg, Renaissance bucrania in Neptune and Amphitrite, by Jan Gossaert, 1516, oil on panel, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin File:Détail des bucranes sur la Maison Renaissance de Langres.jpg, Renaissance bucrania in a frieze on Rue du Cardinal-Morlot no. 20,

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

, France, unknown architect or sculptor, 1550 File:Firenze - Palazzo Budini Gattai 18.jpg, Renaissance bucrania in a

of the Palazzo Budini Gattai, Florence, designed by Giuliano di Baccio d'Agnolo and

Bartolomeo Ammannati Bartolomeo Ammannati (18 June 1511 – 13 April 1592) was an Italian architect and sculptor, born at Settignano, near Florence, Italy. He studied under Baccio Bandinelli and Jacopo Sansovino (assisting on the design of the Library of St. Mark ...

, 1563-1574 Hoteld'Almeyras-P3-027.jpg,

bucranium with a festoon on a

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

of the Hôtel d'Almeyras ( Rue des Francs-Bourgeois no. 30), Paris, unknown architect, 17th century File:Jean Pierre Ador - Potpourri Vase with Classical Figures - Walters 57864 - Profile.jpg,

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

bucrania on the foot of a potpurri vase, by Jean-Pierre Ador, 1768, multicoloured gold, ''en plein'' and ''basse-taille'' enamel,

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, US File:Tomba di Dante, particolare.jpg, Neoclassical bucrania on the

Tomb of Dante The Tomb of Dante () is an Italian neoclassical architecture, neoclassical national monument built over the tomb of the poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) in 1781. It is sited next to the Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Basilica of San Francesc ...

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

, Italy, by Camillo Morigia, 1780-1781 File:Music Room fireplace - Stowe House - Buckinghamshire, England - DSC07170.jpg, Neoclassical bucrania on the fireplace from the Music Room of the

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed building, listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of the Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Stowe School and is owned by the Stowe House Preserv ...

, Stowe,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, UK, by Vincenzo Valdrè, early 1780s File:Salon de madame Récamier - Guéridon (Louvre, OA 11387).jpg, Neoclassical bucrania on a gueridon (small high table) from the salon of madame Récamier, 1790, mahogany, gilt bronze and marble, Louvre File:Tullyallen - Townley Hall - 20120720185932.jpg, Neoclassical bucrania in the Townley Hall, Tullyallen,

County Louth County Louth ( ; ) is a coastal Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of County Meath, Meath to the ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, designed by Francis Johnston, 1794-1798 File:The society.jpg, Neoclassical bucrania on the City Market, Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, US, by Edward Brickell White, 1841 File:Drawing, Design for a Vase, 19th century (CH 18112345).jpg, Neoclassical bucrania on a vase design, 19th century, pen and ink, brush and wash on paper,

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is a design museum at the Andrew Carnegie Mansion in Manhattan, New York City, along the Upper East Side's Museum Mile. It is one of 19 Smithsonian Institution museums and one of three Smithsonian facil ...

, New York City File:Paul Gasq HSBC 2.jpg,

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

bucranium on the facade of the Hôtel Élysée Palace, Paris, architect Georges Chedanne and sculptor Paul Gasq, 1897-1899 Entrée principale du Grand Palais 1, Paris 2009.jpg, Beaux-Arts mosaic of bucrania and

s on the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

, Paris, by Charles Girault, 1897-1900 File:Cantacuzino-Enescu 4.jpg, Beaux-Arts bucrania on an urn of the Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino Palace,

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, 1898–1906, by Ion D. Berindey File:243 riverside drive manhattan detail.JPG, American reinterpretation of the bucranium inspired by

Pre-Columbian art Pre-Columbian art refers to the Visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Americas, visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North America, North, Central America, Central, and South Americas from at least 13,000 BCE to the European con ...

on The Cliff Dwelling ( Riverside Drive no. 243), New York City, designed by Herman Lee Meader, 1914-1916 File:Cliff Dwelling 243 Riverside Drive ornamentation left crop.jpg, Another American reinterpretation of the bucranium inspired by Pre-Columbian art on The Cliff Dwelling File:Boulevard Flandrin 46 porte.jpg,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

bucrania of Boulevard Flandrin no. 46, Paris, unknown architect, 1920 File:Art deco bucranium mascarons.jpg, Art Deco styled bucranium on the Lincoln Bank Tower (East Berry Street no. 116),

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, USA, designed by Alvin M. Strauss, 1930

Notes

References

Francis Brenders, "The Basilica Aemilia on the Forum Romanum at Rome

Sir William Chambers, ''A Treatise on the Decorative Part of Civil Architecture'', 1791 :
Doric order with bucrania between triglyphs

Sylloge Nummorum Gracorum: Rubi
obols with garlanded bucrania on reverse

External links

* {{Ornaments Cattle in art Ornaments (architecture) Columns and entablature Reliefs Çatalhöyük