Cranial trepanations of Armenian population in the second – first millenium BC

Author(s):  А.Yu. Khudaverdyan, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia, akhudaverdyan@mail.ru

A.A. Yengibaryan, Dr., Prof., Yerevan Mkhitar Heratsi State Medical University, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia

А.А. Hovhanesyan, Dr., «Armenia» Republican Medical Center, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia

Issue:  Volume 46, № 1

Rubric:  Topical issues of world history

Annotation:  Medicine is an integral part of the ancient culture of Armenia, with its roots going back thousands of years. The present study considers cases of trepanation from the Bronze and Iron Ages Armenia (the province of Gegharkunik, Lori region, Shirak). A total of 226 skulls from 10 burial grounds have been investigated. Nine found perforations are located on the parietal bones, three on the frontal, one by one – on the temporal and occipital bones. Skulls belong to 9 men between the ages of 18 and 60, 3 to women from 20 to 39 years, and 2 to children between 6–10 years old, and one was of undetermined sex. Among the 15 patients, 9 peo-ple successfully transferred the operation. It is concluded that prehistoric cranial surgeries in the Armenia had been performed for curative purposes. Symbolic trepanation in the form of cuts on the parietal bones are detected in 15 individuals, three of them had surface damage of the outer compact, similar to «scraping». Similarities in trepanation patterns throughout the region attest to common motivations to engage in surgery.

Keywords:  Armenia, Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, trepanation, paleopathology.

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