Discovery of Ancient Egyptian Skulls
Presently kept in the Duckworth Collection at the University of Cambridge, two skulls exhibit indications of attempted treatments as well as evidence of cancer and other injuries.
Ancient Treatment for Cancer
The University of Cambridge is home to a 4,000-year-old Egyptian skull that has been hiding nearly invisible cut marks for decades. According to a recent study published in Frontiers in Medicine, these marks could be proof of an antiquated treatment for cancer.
Insights from Paleopathologist
“This finding is unique evidence of how ancient Egyptian medicine would have tried to deal with or explore cancer more than 4,000 years ago. This is an extraordinary new perspective in our understanding of the history of medicine,” says paleopathologist Edgard Camarós of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Skull Number 236
The owner of skull number 236 lived in ancient Egypt between 2687 and 2345 BCE. The about thirty lesions on his skull, compatible with metastasized cancer, indicate that the man died in his early 30s.
- Multiple lesions on the skull
- Neoplasm on top of the head
Skull Number E270
The female whose skull number in the Duckworth Collection is E270 lived from 663 to 343 BCE. Her cranium is replete with stories, and she was over 50 when she passed away.
- Large lesion between the right frontal and parietal bones
- Sharp-force trauma above her left eyebrow
Conclusion
Even though the exact cause of death for both individuals is unknown, the advanced stage of the cancer in both cases suggests a connection to mortality that cannot be disregarded. The ancient Egyptians attempted a remedy for this condition, but the solution appears to have remained elusive.