Archaeologists have discovered in northern Israel a human skull with a squared-off hole, a strong indication of drilling into his head. The researchers said it was a strong indication of “brain surgery” around 3,500 years ago, but other scientists countered that the unusual hole may have been opened not for medical reasons but after death as part of a ritual.

The researchers from the USA, Israel and Austria, led by Rachel Kalisher of the Joukowsky Archaeological Institute of the American Brown University and Professor Israel Finkelstein, director of the School of Archeology of the University of Haifa, who made the relevant publication in the journal “PloS One “, analyzed two skeletons found in 2016 in a Late Bronze Age tomb in the city of Tell Megiddo, one of the richest and most cosmopolitan in the region as early as the 19th century BC. DNA analysis showed that they were siblings.

Further examination of their skeletons revealed that both suffered – possibly due to a genetic predisposition – from severe chronic infectious diseases (perhaps from leprosy or tuberculosis) that had destroyed some of their bones. The younger brother died in his early 20s between 1550-1450 BC, the older between 21-46 a few years later. Refined Cypriot ceramic vases and other high-quality objects were found in their tomb, testifying that the dead had a higher social status, while it is possible that they were members of the royal family.

The older brother had a square piece, about three centimeters long, removed from the front of his skull, which is estimated to have been done days or even hours before his death. The hypothesis of the researchers is that it was a medical operation of trypanism with a sharp instrument and aimed at curing the patient of the serious problems he was suffering from.

“The totality of the evidence suggests that this was a person who had been ill for a long period of time, so maybe they had some kind of surgery or an attempted life-saving procedure,” Calliser said. “We have evidence that trypanism has been a widespread form of surgery for thousands of years. But in the Near East we don’t see it that often, only about a dozen cases of trypanism have been found in the whole region,” he added.

Evidence of skull trypanism has been found in several other, even more ancient, cases in South America, Africa and elsewhere, although this particular one is the oldest found in the Near East. They are generally believed to have been attempts by various ancient cultures to treat various ailments.

Calliser pointed out that there are still many things scientists don’t know about the ancient drills, such as why some have round holes while others are square or triangular. Nor is it clear how common the procedure was in each region, or what the ancient “surgeons” were primarily trying to treat. However, as she said, “you’d have to be in a pretty bad place to get a hole drilled in your head.”

He added that “in ancient times there was much more tolerance and care than many people think. We have evidence that basically as early as Neanderthal times people provided care for each other, even in very difficult circumstances… In the past people they did not cease to be human”.

Link to the scientific publication: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281020