A female skeleton found in Veria, Greece in an ancient cemetery, and dated to be around the time of the Roman Empire. The skull from the excavated skeleton was founded with a huge hole in the skull. Archaeologists believe that the hole was a way for the specialized doctors to fix damage to the head. They also believed that from this procedure, the woman died because there were no signs of the wound healing.
Roman physicians believed in using a procedure called "trepanation" to alleviate headaches or any pressure in the head. To do this procedure, the physicians will drill a hole into the skull of the patient. Even though this procedure seems illogical, but it was what the people believed in this time period. However, there were some techniques that were used that are similar to neurosurgery of today. The archaeologists have seen skull fractures among the skeletons that were found in the area, and there was proof of removal of fragments of bone. Also there were some signs that the physicians of these patients also tried to relieve pressure during the surgery, which would be done similarly in modern medicine.
It is still unknown of the earliest use of this method of brain surgery, and archaeologists are still uncovering more skeletons with the same holes in the skulls.
For more information: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/skeleton-reveals-ancient-greek-brain-surgery-795739.html
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