A Paleopathological Investigation of Amputation in Ancient Nubia

What is it about?

This paper presents evidence for the oldest case of amputation performed as a therapeutic medical intervention in the Nile River Valley. The individual in question, excavated from a necropolis at Nuri, Sudan, and radiocarbon dated to the Nubian Meroitic period (ca. 270 BCE-370 CE), demonstrates evidence for the surgical amputation of the lower shaft of the left tibia and fibula. Importantly, this case study sheds light on the lesser-known medical traditions of ancient Nubia, which have long been overshadowed by its more conspicuous counterpart, ancient Egypt.

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