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Sutures of the Skull

Sutures of the Skull

The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...

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Roman surgery in Armorica.

Thomas Daoulas¹, Muriel Pardon-Labonnelie²

¹Centre Hospitalier Regional Universitaire de Brest, Brest, France. thomas.daoulas@outlook.fr.

International Orthopaedics

|May 7, 2025

Summary

Archaeological evidence, including a Roman-era scalpel from Armorica, indicates advanced surgical practices in ancient Brittany. This discovery highlights the spread of Greco-Roman operative medicine and the importance of everyday artifacts in understanding ancient surgical history.

Keywords:

Ancient surgery Antiquity History Scalpel

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Area of Science:

Archaeology
History of Medicine
Roman Studies

Background:

Understanding ancient surgical practices relies on interpreting available material culture.
Roman influence extended to provincial regions, impacting local customs and technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify evidence of surgical practice in Roman-period Armorica.
To investigate archaeological artifacts for traces of ancient surgical activity.

Main Methods:

Systematic analysis of 995 excavation reports from March 2021 to December 2022.
Examination of potentially surgical artifacts in archaeological repositories in Brittany.
Expert assessment of a retrieved bronze scalpel handle by a Roman medical instrumentation specialist.

Main Results:

One bronze scalpel handle, dating to the 1st-3rd century CE, was identified from Ploufragan, Côtes d'Armor.
The artifact's features suggest it is a Roman surgical instrument.
Its presence indicates the practice of operative medicine in Roman Armorica, consistent with Greco-Roman traditions.

Conclusions:

Everyday artifacts, like surgical tools, offer crucial insights into ancient populations' habits and routines.
The discovery of this scalpel demonstrates the dissemination of surgical knowledge and practices in Roman Gaul.
Interdisciplinary approaches are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the history of surgery.