Curious attempted surgical manipulations in the skull of a man who lived some 3,500 years ago may be evidence of an ancient form of brain surgery known as trephination, researchers have discovered.
The story begins in 2016, when a pair of skeletons were found in a large ancient tomb in Megiddo –a town in northern Israel referenced in the Bible’s book of Revelation as the site of the final battle between the forces of God and Satan upon the arrival of Armageddon.
The tomb, which was also filled with gold, silver, bronze, jewelry, ceramic pottery and other luxury items, appeared to indicate that the remains belonged to members of a wealthy ancient family.
DNA analysis of the remains by researchers from the US, Israel and Austria determined that the skeletons belonged to two brothers, one of whom had a large square-shaped hole in his skull carved above the forehead with a sharp beveled edge. The precision cuts left smooth edges in the bone, exposing the brain for possible surgical manipulation.
Evidence of possible attempt at ancient form of brain surgery discovered in northern Israel.
© Photo : Rachel Kalisher / PLOS ONE
Both sets of bones showed signs of anemia during childhood, and lesions which scientists believe may have signaled serious disease such as tuberculosis or leprosy. The first brother was said to have died in his late teens or early 20s, while the one with the hole in his skull was determined to have died later, somewhere between the ages of 21 and 46. The older brother passed away either before or shortly after the invasive procedure was performed, as evidenced by the lack of signs of healing following surgery.
The researchers, who published their work in the open access peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE this week, are confident that the square hole is evidence of a crude attempt at brain surgery . If their theory is correct, the discovery at Megiddo would be the oldest recorded brain surgery attempt anywhere in the Middle East. The oldest known example of the practice in the world was earlier discovered in France, where 40 skulls with trepanning holes were found at a burial site dating back to 6500 BC. (A whopping 8,500 years ago!)
“We have evidence that trephination has been this universal, widespread type of surgery for thousands of years,” explained study coauthor Rachel Kalisher, an archeology PhD student at Brown University. “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.”
Kalisher said that these particular brothers were members of the city’s elite, “part of the most wealthy class living at Megiddo, which was itself quite a wealthy city. They weren’t part of the average population, and that’s what we believe allowed them to survive as long as they did with the illness that they had.”
Ancient Megiddo was thought to have been inhabited from around 7,000 to 500 BC, and served as an important trade hub connecting the ancient kingdoms in Egypt, Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia.
However, other scientists aren’t sure whether the square hole in the skull is evidence of a brain surgery, saying the procedure may have been carried out for religious or ritualistic purposes after the individual had already passed away. Israel Hershkovitz, a professor emeritus of anatomy and anthropology from Tel Aviv University, has pointed out that trepanations for therapeutic purposes were typically limited to small circular-shaped holes, not large square ones.
“The shape of the described trephination is square and the walls vertical. If this had been done while the individual was alive, it would have led to his immediate death,” Dr. Hershkovitz explained.