Long before modern hospitals, sterile equipment, or anesthesia, ancient people around the world carried out one of the oldest known surgical practices drilling or scraping holes into human skulls. This procedure, known as trepanation, dates back more than 7,000 years and has been discovered in archaeological sites across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Archaeologists have unearthed skulls bearing perfectly rounded or rectangular holes, some showing clear signs of bone healing  evidence that patients often survived the procedure. But the mystery remains: why did early societies take such a drastic step?

Historians believe trepanation may have been used to treat head injuries, relieve pressure from brain swelling, or attempt to cure epilepsy, migraines, and mental disorders. In other cases, it may have had spiritual significance. Some cultures may have believed that drilling into the skull allowed evil spirits to escape, freeing the sufferer from illness or possession.

Remarkably, these operations were carried out with primitive stone tools, yet survival rates appear surprisingly high. Research suggests that some trepanned skulls show multiple surgeries over a lifetime, indicating that ancient healers had a working knowledge of anatomy and healing far beyond what we often credit them with.

Trepanation continued well into the Middle Ages, and echoes of the practice even appear in Renaissance Europe. Today, it stands as both a chilling and fascinating reminder of humanity’s early attempts at medicine a, time when science, ritual, and survival were deeply intertwined.