A woman who died some 2,500 years ago survived a complex jaw surgery – a remarkable medical feat for her era.
Estimated to be 25 to 30 years old at death, she was found partially mummified in a wooden coffin preserved in ice in Southern Siberia.
Experts at Russia’s Novosibirsk State University (NSU) used a CT scan to examine her skull, which was hidden beneath layers of mummified tissue.
The scan revealed she had sustained a severe head injury: her right jaw joint was destroyed, her ligaments were torn, and her lower jaw displaced.
Without intervention, she would likely have died quickly.
However, she survived a complex surgical procedure that restored jaw function, which would have allowed her to eat and speak once more.
This is believed to be the earliest known example of such surgery.
The scan revealed two small holes deliberately drilled in the bone during her lifetime.
Each was surrounded by a ring of new bone growth – clear evidence of healing.
Traces of elastic material, probably horsehair or tendon, were found inside the holes.
Scientists believe that they were used as a primitive surgical ligature to stabilise her jaw.
Further proof of the operation’s success came from her teeth. Those on the injured side were intact, while teeth on the healthy side were worn from overuse, indicating long-term chewing and survival.
The cause of her injury is unknown, though researchers suggest a fall from a horse or height. It is unclear how long she lived after the surgery.
She was buried at Verkh-Kaldzhin-2, a site of the Iron-Age Pazyryk culture in Southern Siberia.
Previous research shows the Pazyryks already performed trepanning – drilling or scraping holes in the skull – during life.
Natalia Polosmak, of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Novosibirsk, said: “Surgery is essential for sustaining life. In the harsh Altai mountains, it was vital.
“Pazyryks were a small population with low birth rates and short lifespans. Every life mattered.
“This study confirms that they could perform complex surgery to save lives.”
