Discoveries

March 06, 2023

Ancient Care

Listen to Today's Edition

Archaeologists discovered new insights about the early medical practices during the Bronze Age in what is now northern Israel, Gizmodo reported.

In the ancient settlement of Megiddo, they came across the 3,500-year-old skeletons of two brothers, who appeared to have suffered long-term diseases, such as tuberculosis or leprosy.

But one of the skeletons – the older sibling – appeared to have a square-shaped hole in his skull.

The research team closely studied the peculiar remains and found that the young man had his skull cut open to help treat his ailing body. They explained that the hole was a case of trephination, a surgical procedure where a piece of the skull is removed to relieve pressure on the brain.

Lead author Rachel Kalisher expressed excitement at the findings.

“We have evidence that trephination has been this universal, widespread type of surgery for thousands of years,” she said in a statement. “But in the Near East, we don’t see it so often – there are only about a dozen examples of trephination in this entire region.”

But sadly the findings showed that the procedure couldn’t save the older brother’s life, who died during or soon after the procedure. His younger sibling followed suit a year or two later – although he didn’t undergo any trephination.

Still, Kalisher noted that the brothers appeared to be from wealthy or privileged families, considering that they were not ostracized and had some form of care.

“In antiquity, there was a lot more tolerance and a lot more care than people might think,” she added.

This story originally appeared in the March 06, 2023 newsletter, The Black Sheep and the Family.