00:03These skulls belong to ancient Egyptians who lived some 4,000 years ago.
00:07However, they're unique, as they were discovered with several holes in them.
00:11Ones that were made not only while the person was still alive,
00:13but likely made in an attempt to keep them that way.
00:16That's because the skulls are also covered with lesions,
00:19those which point to metastasized carcinoma.
00:22Experts say they believe the holes in the skulls may have been an attempt to treat that cancer,
00:26pointing to both the sophistication of ancient Egyptian medicine,
00:29as well as its limitations.
00:31Unfortunately for one of the skulls' owners,
00:33a man who researchers say was around 30 years old,
00:35the surgical attempts to remove the lesions show no signs of healing,
00:39meaning the man likely died shortly after.
00:41The other skull, belonging to a woman in her 50s, reveals a lot of healing,
00:45though what appears to have been a massive lesion which has healed shows no signs of treatment.
00:49With the researchers writing about their findings,
00:52it seems ancient Egyptians performed some kind of surgical intervention,
00:55related to the presence of cancerous cells,
00:57proving that ancient Egyptian medicine was also conducting experimental treatments
01:01or medical explorations in relation to cancer.
01:04Still, the researchers note,
01:06what other treatments they used and whether or not they were effective remains a mystery.
