A Paleopathological Investigation of Amputation in Ancient Nubia

Abstract Evidence of amputation has been suggested in ancient Egyptian medical texts and iconography but remains rare in the archaeological record, particularly amputation used as a surgical technique for therapeutic medical treatment. We present a paleopathological case study of a young adult male interred in a Meroitic period (270 BCE –370 CE ) burial mound in the Nuri necropolis, Sudan, which was originally the final resting place for the kings and queens of Kush (ca. 750–350 BCE ). Argued to be the oldest evidence for amputation as a therapeutic intervention in the Nile River Valley, radiography documents osteological evidence of a perimortem amputation of the left tibia and fibula. The lack of complete bone remodeling suggested that amputation was likely performed shortly before this individual’s death, pointing towards an attempt to save the leg’s proximal portion. Paleopathological analysis indicated severe infection evident from extensive osteomyelitic bone formation near the amputation site. As one of the few studies of ancient surgical intervention, we offer an opportunity to consider medical practices in the context of this individual’s unique and special burial treatment in ancient Nubia.