Evidence of trepanations in a medieval population (13th–14th century) of northern Spain (Gormaz, Soria)

Abstract

The goal of this study is to describe briefly two trepanned cranial specimens from a Spanish medieval archaeological site. One of them belongs to a mature male in which a grooving trepanation technique was used. The other is a mature female skull in which a scraping procedure was performed. The historical context of the individuals is assessed, as well as characteristics from both trepanations and evidence of survival after the intervention. In the female skull, signs of osseous regeneration can be observed, which imply survival after the operation. No survival signs can be found in the male skull. Possible causes that could have motivated the intervention are also discussed.