According to archeologists in March, a collection of human bones uncovered off of U.S. 301 in Tampa could turn out to be an estimated 1,000 years old. At first, the local police thought they had a homicide investigation on their hands, but once word got around that the bones are much older than first thought , the issue of deciphering past information went to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office and state archaeologists to unlock.
Old Human Bones Found in Tampa
Hopefully, the medical examiner and archaeologists will be able to determine the age, sex and ethnicity of the bones that were uncovered just north of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard , hidden under six feet of land. A construction crew digging a septic tank at 7808 U.S. 301 became the lucky finders of the bones, which were later confirmed to have once belonged to a human. Now, here comes the mission of unlocking the story behind the bones. Preliminary findings suggest that the bones are at least 100 years old and can be as old as 12,000 years. However, the process of mineralization (when bones transform into rock) suggests that they are probably at least 1,000 years old.
There is a possibility that the bones are part of a larger burial ground, but archeologists are not likely to search for additional remains. Since the bones were found on property owned by Florida Utility Trailers Inc., it is their call. Parts of the bones that have been recovered include a jaw bone and teeth. A pelvic bone was not identified, which is central to concluding whether the body belonged to a male or a female. Since no artifacts were found close to the body, the person’s ethnicity may also remain a mystery.
Ancient Surgical Practices Revealed in Greece
The skull of a young woman found in northern Greece may show that head surgery existed during the third century. With the help of a Greek excavation team, secrets of the past were unlocked at an ancient cemetery in Veria, where the skull (which showed injury), has researchers pondering the advanced medical knowledge of this time period. They are convinced that the skull indicates past surgery.
Head of the archaeological dig, Ioannis Graikos, told reporters that only a doctor with experience could have attempted a surgical procedure with such complexity. However, it was already known that medical treatments on the human body in Roman Veria was a long-standing tradition with roots that trace back to Hippocrates, Celsus, and Galen. These ancient doctors lived during the fifth century BC, between 25 BC and 50 AD, and from 131 to 201 , respectively.
Researchers believe that the ancient doctor performed what is known as a trepanation, an ancient form of surgery associated with head injuries or illnesses. Just in 2003, Greek archaeologists uncovered the skull of a man found in a tomb on the Aegean island of Chios that dates back to the second century BC. He too, showed signs of a trepanation. Interestingly, it also revealed that the patient probably lived a number of years after he had the operation.