Elias, J, Lupton, C, and Hoppa R D, 2015 Evidence of Trepanation in a 26th Dynasty Mummy from Akhmim, Egypt. VIIth World Congress on Mummy Studies. San Diego, California. Poster originally presented June 2011 Electronic publication pending. Jonathan Elias

https://www.academia.edu/12496204/Elias_J_Lupton_C_and_Hoppa_R_D_2015_Evidence_of_Trepanation_in_a_26th_Dynasty_Mummy_from_Akhmim_Egypt_VIIth_World_Congress_on_Mummy_Studies_San_Diego_California_Poster_originally_presented_June_2011_Electronic_publication_pending?rhid=41992766300&swp=rr-rw-wc-33323808&nav_from=8d575fb4-13f9-468e-ac10-68370f1c7c07 Very few instances of surgical trepanation/craniotomy are seen in the Egyptian archaeological record. The rarity of the procedure reflects the tendency among ancient Egyptian physicians (reflected in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus) to avoid operating on head injuries. Recent CT examinations of a 26th Dynasty mummy associated with the funerary specialist Djedhor, found at Akhmim around 1886, have revealed evidence of a surgical opening with substantial dimensions (53 mm A-P x 43.5 mm R-L) in the summit of his cranium . This opening is arguably one of the boldest craniotomies carried out in ancient Egypt. The earliest scan carried out on this mummy (1986) missed this feature altogether, but a second scan in 2006 detected it and resulted in a 3D-printed model of the skull which showed a lesion in the upper margin of the subject’s left orbit. This lesion is considered serious enough to have induced ancient physicians to have attempted trepanation as a means of reducing intracranial pressure for purposes of relieving the subject’s pain. The linkage of the two features is plausible. The latest CT exam (April 2011) was undertaken to provide better views of the edge of the trepanation hole to establish whether there is remodeling of the bone suggestive of healing, or whether the procedure was conducted post-mortem as part of ritual processing during mummification.