Ancient Altai woman survived complex jaw surgery 2,500 years ago: Research

​​​​​​​By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Scientists discovered evidence that a woman from the Pazyryk culture in the Altai Republic underwent a highly sophisticated surgical procedure around 2,500 years ago.

A report Monday by Novosibirsk State University said scientists at the school’s physics department used advanced computed tomography imaging to uncover evidence of complex jaw reconstruction surgery.

The findings challenge assumptions about medical expertise during Siberia’s Iron Age, said the report.

Analysis indicated the woman suffered a severe head injury that destroyed her right jaw joint, prompting surgery that successfully restored her ability to speak and eat.

The skull was recovered from the Upper Kaljin-2 burial site on the Ukok Plateau, part of the Pazyryk culture -- a Scythian-era civilization renowned for its remarkably preserved frozen tombs dating from the 6th to 3rd centuries BCE.

The exact cause and duration of her survival after the injury remain unknown, though researchers speculated it may have resulted from a fall from a horse or a height.

“Further results were obtained that we had not previously encountered in the scientific literature. It is possible that we have discovered evidence of such a surgical procedure for the first time," said Andrey Letyagin, who led the medical imaging analysis.