Archaeologists in Germany have discovered the body of a Medieval man with a “sophisticated” centuries-old iron prosthetic hand.
The complete skeleton of a middle-aged man at the time of his death was accidentally discovered by a pipeline worker near the parish church of St. George in Freising, a Bavarian town 24 miles northeast of Munich.
“Even for experienced archaeologists, this is a special find: a skeleton in which part of the finger of the left hand is missing,” the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments said in a statement.
The skeleton of a Medieval man was found with an iron prosthetic in his left hand.Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege/Facebook
The scientists produced a very complicated prosthetic made of iron and non-ferrous metals and found that the man had lost all his fingers except his thumb – probably due to amputation.
The prosthetic may be covered with skin, and the restorer finds wrinkled tissue inside the finger. Textiles such as gauze were probably used to protect the man’s stumps while he wore the device.
“The hollow hand prosthesis on the left hand adds four fingers. The index, middle, ring and little fingers are individually formed from metal sheets and are immobile,” said Dr Walter Irlinger, head of the conservation department of Bavarian archaeological monuments.
Pipeline workers accidentally made the incredible discovery. Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege/Facebook The man lost all his fingers except his thumb — likely as a result of amputation. Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege/Facebook Very intricate hands made of iron and non-ferrous metals.Bayerisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege/Facebook
“The finger replicas lie parallel to each other, slightly curved. Presumably, the prosthesis was made with a strap on the stump of a hand that was tied.”
Radiocarbon dating revealed that the man – probably between 30 and 50 years old – died between 1450 and 1620, the scientists concluded.
“This means: Already at that time Doctors are thinking about how they can make life easier for amputees,” said the state office.
The find is rare — there are only about 50 prosthetics known from Central Europe in the late Middle Ages and early modern period.
The most famous from that time period is the “Iron Hand” worn by German Imperial Knight Götz von Berlichingen after losing his hand to cannon fire during the war in 1504.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
