This skull, dated between the Middle and the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1650-1150 BC), comes from the “castelliere” of Monte Orcino/Vrčin in Croatia. It is believed to have belonged to a woman aged around 40. A large area of bone (32×20 mm) has evidently been removed from the nape, and clear bone scarring allows us to say that the person survived this surgery for a year or more. In antiquity, the practice of trepanning was probably reserved for people exhibiting what was perceived as abnormal behaviour with the aim of releasing evil spirits.
