Trepanations in Sauromato-Sarmatian Crania from the Lower Volga
Journal: Archaeology Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia
Year: 2020

We describe artiﬁcial openings in crania of the Early Iron Age nomads of the Lower Volga region, owned by the Moscow State University’s Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology. Such openings were found in two male specimens of the Sauromato-Sarmatian age from Bykovo (burial 4, kurgan 13) and Baranovka (burial 2, kurgan 21). Using macroscopic and X-ray examination, we attempt to identify the surgical techniques and the reasons behind the operations. The cranial vault of the Bykovo individua