2,000-year-old skull held together by metal thought to be oldest evidence of advanced surgery
PERU, SOUTH AMERICA, WORLD

2,000-year-old skull held together by metal thought to be the oldest evidence of advanced surgery

2,000-year-old skull held together by metal thought to be oldest evidence of advanced surgery

A 2,000-year-old skull of a Peruvian warrior was found to be fused together by metal. Experts from a US museum believe it could be one of the oldest examples of advanced surgery.

The Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma said the skull is reported to have been that of a man who was injured in battle before undergoing surgery to implant a piece of metal in his head to repair a fracture.

And that’s not the most impressive part. Experts at the museum believe the man survived as a result of the surgery,

Therefore, the skull has now become a crucial piece of evidence to prove that ancient people were skilled enough to perform advanced surgeries.

“Yes, this is a real human skull that is thousands of years old. Elongation was achieved through head binding beginning at a very young age. It was typically practised to convey social status by various cultures,” the Museum of Osteology wrote in a Facebook post.

2,000-year-old skull held together by metal thought to be oldest evidence of advanced surgery
A 2,000-year-old skull, pictured, is believed to have been that of a man who was injured in battle and had surgery to implant a piece of metal to repair the fracture

The post added that the human survived a procedure that is known as trephination, which was practised by all ancient civilizations by different means.

The post added: “This individual survived the procedure. known as trephination,  based on evidence of bone remodelling. Trephination was practised by nearly all ancient civilizations by different means and for different reasons.”

The museum said the metal used in the procedure was not poured as molten metal. However, the experts are not sure about the composition of the alloy

The metal plate was used to fuse the broken bones.

“Although we can’t guarantee anaesthesia was used, we do know many natural remedies existed for surgical procedures during this time period,” the museum informed.

The skull on display is an example of n elongated Peruvian skull, an ancient form of body modification where tribe members intentionally deformed the skulls of young children by binding them with a cloth.

According to reports, the skull was kept in the museum’s private collection for many years, It was put on display in 2020 after growing public interest.