Skip to content
American Academy of Audiology
  • PRACTICE RESOURCES
    • Practice Guidelines and Standards
    • Reimbursement
    • Coding
    • Compliance
    • Public Awareness
    • State Medicaid
    • Medicare FAQs
    • COVID-19 Resources
  • EDUCATION & EVENTS
    • Event Calendar
    • Academy Research Conference (ARC)
    • Continuing Education
    • eAudiology Online Learning
    • Research Grants and Scholarships
  • AAA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    • Attend
    • Exhibit Hall
    • Program and Events
    • Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
    • About
  • NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
    • Audiology Today
    • Newsroom
    • Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
    • Advertising
    • Audiology Solutions Network
    • Online Store
    • Permissions and Reprints
  • CAREERS
    • Career Center
    • Certification
    • Become an Audiologist
    • Doctoral Programs in Audiology
    • Recruiting
    • Resources for New Audiologists
  • ADVOCACY
    • Legislative and Regulatory Activities
      • State Affairs
      • Federal Affairs
    • Legislative Action Center
    • Government Relations News
  • ABOUT THE ACADEMY
    • Contact Us
    • Academy Membership
      • Benefits
      • Ethics
      • Member Directory
      • Membership Renewals
    • Leadership
    • Committees and Task Forces
    • Get Involved
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Honors and Awards
    • Sponsorships and Corporate Partners
    • Press and Media Information
  • AUDIOLOGY COMMUNITY
  • CONSUMERS
    • What Is an Audiologist
    • Hearing and Balance Symptoms and Conditions
    • Managing Hearing Loss
    • Seniors and Hearing Loss
    • Children and Hearing Loss
FacebookTwitterLinkedinYoutubeInstagram
  • Audiology Community
  • Students
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Renew
American Academy of Audiology
Member Login
  • PRACTICE RESOURCES
    • Practice Guidelines and Standards
    • Reimbursement
    • Coding
    • Compliance
    • Public Awareness
    • State Medicaid
    • Medicare FAQs
    • COVID-19 Resources
  • EDUCATION & EVENTS
    • Event Calendar
    • Academy Research Conference (ARC)
    • Continuing Education
    • eAudiology Online Learning
    • Research Grants and Scholarships
  • AAA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    • Attend
    • Exhibit Hall
    • Program and Events
    • Exhibit and Sponsorship Opportunities
    • About
  • NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
    • Audiology Today
    • Newsroom
    • Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
    • Advertising
    • Audiology Solutions Network
    • Online Store
    • Permissions and Reprints
  • CAREERS
    • Career Center
    • Certification
    • Become an Audiologist
    • Doctoral Programs in Audiology
    • Recruiting
    • Resources for New Audiologists
  • ADVOCACY
    • Legislative and Regulatory Activities
      • State Affairs
      • Federal Affairs
    • Legislative Action Center
    • Government Relations News
  • ABOUT THE ACADEMY
    • Contact Us
    • Academy Membership
      • Benefits
      • Ethics
      • Member Directory
      • Membership Renewals
    • Leadership
    • Committees and Task Forces
    • Get Involved
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Honors and Awards
    • Sponsorships and Corporate Partners
    • Press and Media Information
  • AUDIOLOGY COMMUNITY
  • CONSUMERS
    • What Is an Audiologist
    • Hearing and Balance Symptoms and Conditions
    • Managing Hearing Loss
    • Seniors and Hearing Loss
    • Children and Hearing Loss
March 10, 2022

Stone Age Otologic Surgical Techniques Unearthed at Archeological Site

  • In the News

Can you imagine what medical treatment looked like 5,000 years ago? What was “surgery” like with stone instruments?

In 2018, archeologists uncovered a skull that shows evidence of the earliest known otologic skull-based surgery (Díaz-Navarro et al, 2022; Ouellette, 2022). The skull was uncovered in a tomb from the Dolmen of El Pendón on the Iberian Peninsula. Forensic analysis determined that the most likely reason for the surgery was to treat middle-ear infections or mastoiditis.

What is amazing is that this person had similar surgeries on both ears, and survived, as there was evidence of healthy bone growth and no sign of further infection. Further analysis revealed that the skull was of a woman who had most likely died of advanced age (65 years).

The archeologists arrived at this conclusion due to signs of significant teeth deterioration and thyroid cartilage ossification. A flint blade, with evidence of exposure to extreme heat, was located in the vicinity, suggesting that cauterization techniques may have been used for various treatments.

For more insight into Neolithic medical treatments and the specific archeological dig that unearthed this finding, review the articles in the reference section.   

References

Díaz-Navarro S, Tejedor-Rodríguez C, Arcusa-Magallón H, et al. (2022) The first otologic surgery in a skull from El Pendón site (Reinoso, Northern Spain). Sci Rep 12(1):1–10.

Ouellette J. (2022) This 5,300-year-old skull shows evidence of the earliest known ear surgery. Ars Technica.

Share this

Recent Posts

President’s Message: Academy Teamwork

“Huh?” Is More Than an Interrogatory Palindrome!

Volunteer Spotlight: Riley DeBacker, AuD, PhD

Related Posts

In the News

“Huh?” Is More Than an Interrogatory Palindrome!

“Huh?” is used in at least 31 languages around the world! A version of the word can be found in nearly every language on Earth (Dingemanse et al, 2013). This research concluded that all languages studied included a word similar, in both sound and function, to the English “huh?” Regardless of language, the word is…

Read More
In the News

Another Useless Body Part…

If you have a dog or cat, you’ve probably seen their ears moving toward an interesting or startling sound. For professional equestrians, watching the ears of their horse allows them to gauge their shifting attention. Humans still have these same muscles, and even more interesting is their relationship to our brain and how we pay attention. …

Read More
In the News

Memorizing Movements: How Tai Chi Can Improve Balance and Cognition

Tai Chi is not just for increasing balance; it may also help improve cognitive performance. In a recent randomized controlled trial, study participants who practiced a form of Tai Chi twice a week for six months improved their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) when compared to a control group (Fuzhong et al, 2023)….

Read More
wave-mark

Join the Academy

Academy members receive many benefits for professional development, practice management, and community development.

Become a Member
COMM22-Academy_Website_Graphics-Retina-Celebrating_35_Years (W)-min

American Academy of Audiology
11480 Commerce Park Drive
Suite 220
Reston, VA 20191

Tel: 703-790-8466
Fax: 703-790-8631

  • Practice Resources
  • Education and Events
  • AAA Annual Conference
  • News and Publications
  • Careers
  • Advocacy
  • About the Academy
  • Consumers and Patients
  • Audiology Community
  • Students
  • Donate
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Antitrust Policy and Guidelines
  • Terms of Use Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap

© Copyright 2023 American Academy of Audiology

Website by Yoko Co

Scroll To Top