The Unique Find of the Trephined Plate from Dort-Leme in Piedmont Crimea

Dort-Leme is an Early Iron Age cemetery located in the central part of the Crimea piedmont on the left bank of the Burulcha river. In 2023 two stone cists were excavated in the cemetery and attributed to the Kizil-Koba culture. The both were covered by one stone mound. One cist was completely destroyed by modern looters, the other was looted in ancient times. Besides items characteristic of the Kizil-Koba culture, the latter cist contained separated, fragmented human bones of at least eight individuals. Of special interest is a unique find of a trephined plate from a human skull exhibiting traces of working. The fragment was subjected to comprehensive morphological, use-wear and X-ray analyses. It was confirmed that a skull of an adult individual was used as a material to make this artifact while the shape of the item was changed by hand cutting and sawing a fresh bone. The paper discusses possible circumstances and aims of this trepanation including both therapeutical and ritual/symbolic motifs. It is noted that such finds are extremely rare in this region and the period, while the discussed fragment is the first evidence of trepanation in the Kizil-Koba individuals.