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Evidence of Trephinations among the Garamantes, a Late Holocene Saharan Population
Author(s) -
Nikita E.,
Lahr M. M.,
Mattingly D.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/oa.1265
Subject(s) - crania , sophistication , holocene , civilization , history , population , ancient history , demography , geography , archaeology , ethnology , sociology , social science
ABSTRACT The current communication examines three male individuals who belonged to the Garamantian civilisation, Fezzan, Libya. The individuals have been dated to ad 1–700 and exhibit signs of perforations on their crania, which appear to represent trephinations. The sophistication of the practice and its successful execution, as evidenced by traces of healing, indicate that the Garamantes possessed the knowledge of complex surgical procedures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.