An “extraordinary” 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull shows signs of attempts to treat cancer.
Cut marks on the skull could be clues that ancient Egyptians attempted to remove tissue overgrowth, scientists say.
An alternative theory is that they tried to learn more about cancerous disorders after a patient died.
Evidence in ancient texts shows that, for their time, the ancient Egyptians were “exceptionally skilled” in medicine.
They could identify, describe and treat traumatic illnesses and injuries and even place dental fillings.
An “extraordinary” 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull shows signs of attempts to treat cancer. Cut marks on skull could be clues that ancient Egyptians attempted to remove tissue overgrowth, scientists say
Microscopic observation showed a large lesion in the skull 236 compatible with excessive tissue destruction, a condition known as neoplasia.
Other diseases, such as cancer, could not be treated.
But a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, strongly suggests they might have tried.
An international team of researchers examined two human skulls, each thousands of years old.
The study’s first author, Tatiana Tondini, a researcher at the University of Tübingen, Germany, said: “We see that although the ancient Egyptians were able to treat complex skull fractures, cancer remained a frontier of medical knowledge.”
«We wanted to know the role of cancer in the past, the prevalence of this disease in ancient times and how ancient societies interacted with this pathology.
“When we first looked at the cut marks under the microscope, we couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”
In the study, an international team of researchers examined two human skulls, each thousands of years old.
There were about 30 small, round metastatic lesions spread throughout the skull. But what surprised researchers was the discovery of cut marks around the injuries, probably made with a sharp object, such as a metal instrument.
Lead author Professor Edgard Camarós, from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, said: “This finding is unique evidence of how ancient Egyptian medicine would have attempted to address or explore cancer more than 4,000 years ago.
“This is an extraordinary new perspective on our understanding of the history of medicine.”
The team examined two skulls preserved in the Duckworth Collection at the University of Cambridge.
Skull and jaw 236, dated between 2687 and 2345 BC, belonged to a man between 30 and 35 years old, while skull E270, dated between 663 and 343 BC, belonged to a woman over 50 years old.
Microscopic observation showed a large lesion in the skull 236 compatible with excessive tissue destruction, a condition known as neoplasia.
There were about 30 small, round metastatic lesions spread throughout the skull.
Researchers say studying skeletal remains comes with certain challenges that make definitive statements difficult, especially because the remains are often incomplete and a medical history is not known.
But what surprised researchers was the discovery of cut marks around the injuries, probably made with a sharp object, such as a metal instrument.
Co-author Professor Albert Isidro, a surgical oncologist at Sagrat Cor University Hospital, Spain, said: “It appears that the ancient Egyptians performed some type of surgical intervention related to the presence of cancer cells, which shows that ancient Egyptian medicine also performed experimental treatments.” or medical examinations in relation to cancer.’
The researchers said the E270 skull also shows a “large lesion” consistent with a cancerous tumor that caused bone destruction.
The researchers said the E270 skull also shows a “large lesion” consistent with a cancerous tumor that caused bone destruction.
They said their findings may indicate that although today’s lifestyle, aging people and carcinogenic substances in the environment increase the risk, cancer was also a common disease in the past.
The team also found two healed lesions from traumatic skull injuries E270.
They said one of them appears to have originated from a “close-range violent event” in which a sharp weapon was used.
The research team believes the healed injuries could mean the woman potentially received some type of treatment and survived as a result.
Seeing such a wound on a woman is rare and most violence-related injuries are found in men.
Tondini said: ‘Was this woman involved in any kind of war activity?
“If so, we need to rethink the role of women in the past and how they actively participated in conflicts during ancient times.”
But researchers say studying skeletal remains comes with certain challenges that make definitive statements difficult, especially because the remains are often incomplete and a medical history is not known.
Professor Isidro said: “In archeology we work with a fragmented portion of the past, which complicates a precise approach.”
Professor Camarós added: “This study contributes to a change of perspective and lays an encouraging foundation for future research in the field of paleoncology.
“But more studies will be needed to unravel how ancient societies approached cancer.”
THE MYSTERY OF THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA
For more than 4,500 years, the pyramids of Egypt have kept their secrets hidden deep in the labyrinth of passages and chambers found within their imposing stone structures.
But the long-running dispute over whether the Great Pyramid of Giza hides a network of undiscovered tunnels behind its stone walls has now been answered.
Researchers confirmed the finding by using cosmic particles known as muons to scan the Great Pyramid of Giza.
They used the scans to create maps that revealed the internal structure of the 479-foot (146 m) tall pyramid.
Last year, thermal scanning identified a major anomaly in the Great Pyramid, the largest and oldest of the Giza pyramids and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Those scans identified three adjacent stones at their base that recorded higher temperatures than others.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Thursday began displaying the country’s oldest papyri, dating back 4,500 years, detailing the daily lives of the pyramid builders.
This led to theories that they could be hiding a secret chamber that had not yet been discovered.
A team of experts then created the ScanPyramid project to use muons, small subatomic particles normally produced when cosmic rays collide with Earth’s atoms, to peer through the pyramid’s massive stone blocks, some of which which weigh up to 15 tons.
In the past, Dr. Hawass was skeptical about the usefulness of performing such scans.
He recently clashed publicly with British Egyptologists over his theory that a secret burial chamber could be hidden behind the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb in his pyramid in the Valley of the Kings.
Scientists have been using a muon detector machine (pictured) to scan the internal structure of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
