The skull studied for this latest study was excavated in the Longobard cemetery of Castel Trosino in central Italy in the late 19th century. The skulls are dated between the 6th and 8th centuries AD.
This skull belongs to a woman about 50 years old. The authors first examined the skull and recorded several skull defects. To find out more, they did a CT scan of the skull and took a cast.
“We found that the woman survived several surgeries after undergoing a lengthy surgical treatment consisting of a series of sequential soundings,” says study co-author Ileana Micarelli.
For example, an oval area in the middle of the cross defect indicates a well-healed trepanation procedure, according to the authors. The second operation was probably performed shortly before the woman’s death.
Why did this woman have not one but two surgeries? According to the authors of the study, he may be suffering from some type of systemic disease. Alternatively, procedures may have a ritual basis. However, they did not find any evidence of the practice of ritual trepanation among the Longobards whose remains were found in the cemetery.
The authors note that they were unable to develop their theory as a comprehensive examination of the entire skeleton was not possible, and while the possibility of ritual motifs exists, “no osteological or historical evidence supports such hypotheses.”
Source: Ferra
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