Traces of 4,000-year-old surgical procedure found in Uzbekistan

Traces of trepanation, a surgical procedure involving the opening of the skull, have been found on the skull of a child from the Bronze Age who lived in the territory of present-day Uzbekistan around 4,000 years ago. The discovery is considered one of the oldest known pieces of evidence of surgery in Central Asia. An article about the finding was published in Türkiye’s Arkeofili magazine.

According to researchers, the skeleton of the child, who is believed to have died at around the age of five, was found during excavations carried out in recent months. The remains of another child, who is thought to have died at around the age of three, were also discovered in the same grave.

Experts noted that clear traces of skull trepanation, apparently performed using stone or bone tools, are visible on the skull of the 5-year-old child. In ancient times, such procedures may have been carried out to treat epilepsy, migraines or mental illnesses. However, researchers stressed that the boundary between medical and ritual practices was not clearly defined at that time.

The discovery was made in southern Uzbekistan, at an archaeological site near the Afghan border, during an expedition conducted jointly by Italian and Uzbek archaeologists.

The excavations focused on the Bronze Age settlement of Jarkutan. Experts believe the cemetery dates back to the late third millennium BC. At that time, Jarkutan was one of the important urban centres of the Oxus Civilization, also known as the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex.

Researchers noted that this civilization developed along major rivers and oases and had strong agriculture and a rich material culture. Its decline may have been caused by climate changes linked to the drying up of major rivers.

“Jarkutan continues to amaze us. The fact that such a complex surgical procedure was performed on a young child in Central Asia 4,000 years ago is remarkable,” archaeologist Enrico Ascalone said.

At the same time, scientists said the discovery raises a number of questions, including who performed the operation, what kind of medical knowledge they possessed, and why a 5-year-old child was chosen. These questions are expected to be studied in future research.

Earlier, it was reported that an international team of archaeologists had found stone sickles, wild barley and other cereal seeds, as well as remains of various plants gathered by local hunter-gatherers around 9,200 years ago, in the Toda cave in southern Uzbekistan.