Archaeologists have discovered a burial in the Israeli city of Megiddo, which contains the remains of a man who underwent surgery on the skull, probably the oldest in the Middle East.. The burial was found back in 2016, and it contains the remains of two people who were buried together, Science Alert reports..

Now scientists from the US and Israel have published the results of a study of the remains that tell the tragic story of two brothers whose wealth was not enough to save them from an early death..

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Megiddo was a thriving urban center, consisting of many palaces, fortifications and temples.. It is known by the Greek name of Armageddon, the predicted last battlefield before the end of time..

The bodies were buried in the section of the palace reserved for the elite.. They were buried along with earthenware vessels and other valuables that indicated that they belonged to a wealthy, if not royal, family..

DNA analysis showed that the men were relatives. However, one of them died in early adulthood, and the second at the time of death was older than. The arrangement of the bones indicates that the elder outlived his younger brother, while the bones of the latter indicate that they were reburied..

The bones of both brothers retained traces of disease. But on the skull of the elder, there are traces of trepanation, which is performed on a living patient.. Why ancient people performed such an operation is still unknown.. Possible reasons range from rituals to an intuitive desire to relieve pressure on the brain..

But whatever the purpose of this operation, in the case of the deceased, it was unsuccessful.. The cuts that frame the square hole show no signs of healing, suggesting the man died shortly after his skull was opened.. At the time of death he was 20-30 years old.

Scientists were able to find earlier evidence of trepanation in North Africa and the Mediterranean.. But this one is the oldest known in the Middle East.

Despite the fact that the brothers belonged to a rich and influential family, they hardly had a comfortable life.. The bones of both show signs of childhood iron deficiency, which may have affected their development..

The older brother also had an extra line in the skull where the plates converged, as well as an extra molar, indicating a rare genetic condition called clavicular-cranial dysplasia..

In addition, the bones of both brothers retained traces of an infectious disease, most likely tuberculosis or leprosy..

Earlier, archaeologists found an ancient sarcophagus in a 2000-year-old Roman necropolis in the Gaza Strip.. The necropolis is located on the coast, 500 meters from the sea.