Holes in the head. Double cranial surgery on an individual from the Chalcolithic burial site of Camino del Molino (SE Spain)

Díaz-Navarro, Sonia; Haber Uriarte, María; García-González, Rebeca

Publication:
Holes in the head. Double cranial surgery on an individual from the Chalcolithic burial site of Camino del Molino (SE Spain)

dc.contributor.author	Díaz-Navarro, Sonia
dc.contributor.author	Haber Uriarte, María
dc.contributor.author	García-González, Rebeca
dc.contributor.department	Prehistoria, Arqueología, Historia Antigua, Historia Medieval y Ciencias y Técnicas Historiográficas
dc.contributor.other	Facultad de Letras
dc.coverage.spatial	Región de Murcia
dc.coverage.temporal	Calcolítico (Prehistoria)
dc.date.accessioned	2026-02-17T08:40:02Z
dc.date.available	2026-02-17T08:40:02Z
dc.date.copyright	© 2023, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
dc.date.issued	2023-09-15
dc.description.abstract	Objective: This article analyses new prehistoric evidence of trepanation from a collective burial site in the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Materials: The trepanned individual was documented in the Chalcolithic burial site of Camino del Molino, where 1348 individuals (30.7 % non-adults and 69.3 % adults) were deposited in two contiguous funerary phases, making it a reference site for the knowledge of Recent Prehistoric populations. Methods: The individual has been sexed using traditional anthropological methods and ancient DNA. C14 dating has also been obtained. The lesion has been analysed macroscopically and microscopically using SEM. Results: The skull under study belongs to an adult female deposited in the second burial phase (2566–2239 years cal BCE). It exhibits in the anterior region of the right temporal fossa two contiguous and partially overlapping holes that correspond to two trepanations performed using the scraping technique. Conclusions: It is a double cranial trepanation with signs of bone remodelling suggesting survival from surgery. No pathological signs were identified potentially associated with the intervention. Significance: This is the second case of surgical interventions in the geographical area of study and one of the few evidences of this practice in women during prehistoric times. Limitations: So far only the articulated skeletons from this burial have been thoroughly analysed. Suggestions for further research: Further intensive review of skull collection is advised to learn more about these surgical interventions in Copper Age and to go deeper into the causes that motivated their execution.
dc.format	application/pdf
dc.format.extent	9
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Paleopathology, 43(2023) 22-30
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.09.003
dc.identifier.eissn	1879-9825
dc.identifier.issn	1879-9817
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10201/206261
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Elsevier
dc.relation	Beca predoctoral otorgada por la Junta de Castilla y León y Fondo Social Europeo (ORDEN EDU/574/2018).
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981723000517?via%3Dihub
dc.rights.accessRights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.subject	Healed trauma
dc.subject	Taphonomy
dc.subject	Prehistory
dc.subject	Iberia
dc.subject	Ancient surgery
dc.subject	Trepanation
dc.subject.ods	No relacionado con ningún objetivo de desarrollo sostenible
dc.title	Holes in the head. Double cranial surgery on an individual from the Chalcolithic burial site of Camino del Molino (SE Spain)
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dspace.entity.type	Publication	es
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	81c8709c-9a4f-412e-a2da-4b3ee22ffe58