(AFP)
Archaeologists announced, on Wednesday, that they have discovered the tomb of a surgeon dating back more than a thousand years, before the emergence of the Inca civilization, in a temple in northern Peru.
“We succeeded in discovering a tomb dating back more than a thousand years for a character who performed the function of a surgeon in population culture,” archaeologist Carlos Elera told AFP.
The discovery took place at the end of 2021 at the shrine temple of Las Ventanas located in the Bosque de Pomac Historic Reserve in the Lambayeque region, 800 km north of the capital, Lima.
“The character was specialized in trepanning and his surgical instruments were dedicated to everything related to human skull surgery,” said Elera, who is director of the National Museum of Population Culture.
The populous culture, also known as the Lambayeque culture, emerged from AD 700 to 750 and lasted until 1375.
In pre-Columbian Peru, trepanation was a common practice to get rid of hematomas or to remove broken skull bones, most likely during wartime engagements.
The coffin contained a golden mask, a large bronze pectoral piece, and other pieces that testify to the position of the buried person, who was found squatting by archaeologists.
“In northern Peru, it’s not uncommon to find this kind of person,” Elera explained.
Among the surgical tools discovered, there are knives with semi-circular blades and others with wooden handles, awl and needles.
Archaeologists have found unspecified pieces of tree bark that may have been used as a pain reliever.
“We compare the tools of the modern surgeon with these things to determine the similarities between them,” Elera said.