Unusual discovery in front of city hall in Poznan – Interia

The skeleton dates back to the seventeenth century. Trepanation of the skull with traces found in Poznan during excavations in front of city hall. According to the experts this may be a trace of one of the first such operations in Central Europe.

“This is undoubtedly posthumous unveiling of the skull. You can see even in the section of that skull that it was sawed, probably excavated of the brain (…) this finding can definitely be comparable with the earliest treatments of this type in Poland, which date back to 1613 years. you can also say that the Poznan was in the vanguard of modern medicine “- he told PAP on Friday directing excavations Dr. Marcin Ignaczak.

the skeleton was discovered in the second layer of burials within the Collegiate St. Mary Magdalene in Poznan. “These burials are we dated very old because previous stratifications indicated that there is a seventeenth-century burials, and these are necessarily more mature,” – he stressed.

“There are many indications that the chronology of the skeleton is the sixteenth, half of the seventeenth century. We believe that this skeleton may, however, be contemporary times, when the collegiate buried among one of the most famous Poznan medics Joseph Ostrich and – for now carefully – but we suspect that even he could perform an autopsy on the just deceased, “- he added.

Ignaczak also stressed that the discovery is remarkable also for this reason that, even though in those days was carried out autopsies, this rather nameless dead. “This skeleton was discovered in a coffin inside the Collegiate Church, which suggests that he was buried there someone significant. At the moment, just answer why just in the dead man was carried out this treatment is our biggest problem. It is easy to also imagine that at that time carrying out autopsy was not a daily thing, because medicine can then crawling “- said the archaeologist.

he added that at the beginning of next week should be known more extensive statement anthropologists. “After further research, expertise anthropological, we will also learn more about this man about his state of health, illnesses, about how he looked. We will try of course to investigate DNA” – stressed Ignaczak.

After examination skeleton thesis about conducted in the first half of the seventeenth century. postmortem autopsy in Poznan also tentatively confirmed prof. Janusz Piontek from the Institute of Anthropology of the University. Adam Mickiewicz.

The excavations at Poznan square collegiate lasts from mid-April. Completion of the work is tentatively scheduled for July this year.