A total of 64 relics and historical objects of high archaeological value, including an ancient mummy, have recently been added to the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
The mummy which had been unearthed in Yazd, along with a prehistorical skull, and two stone and timber minbars, was amongst highlights of the newly-added items to the prestigious list, ROKNA reported on Wednesday.
The objects have been found in the provinces of East Azarbaijan, Kerman, Ilam, Mazandaran, Hamedan, and Tehran, the report said.
In 1977, an Italian archeological group made a great discovery while excavating the UNESCO-registered Burned City (Shahr-e sukhteh). They found a skull dating back to 2800 BC with a triangular surgery scar showing the removal of a piece.
The other remarkable feature of the skull was the dimensions that were significantly big compared to the age of the person it belonged to. Based on the investigations, the skull belonged to a girl who was approximately 13 years old. A neurologist could immediately and without any diagnostic measures diagnose congenital hydrocephalus in her. The abnormal enlargement of the skull, particularly the parietal regions on both sides is the common view in congenital hydrocephalus. Since surgery can be a method of treatment in case the patient is symptomatic, it is assumed that this ancient surgery was conducted for treating the girl.
