Study retells the story of the man who died with an arrow inside his body, in the tibia. Memories of the influential Parthian Empire.
A new archaeological study has brought to light the unusual story of a man who lived in Parthian Empire, one of the great powers of Ancient Persia in the 3rd century AD, known for its advanced metallurgy techniques and expertise in the use of archery.
Between 2016 and 2018, researchers discovered 77 sets of human remains at the Liyar-Sang-Bon archaeological site in Guilan province, in Iran. Among them, the skeleton of an adult man stood out, in poor condition, but with a surprising detail: a metal arrowhead lodged in the right tibia.
Examinations with fluorescent X-rays and computerized tomography confirmed that it was a three-bladed arrow, approximately 44 millimeters long and 15 millimeters wide, typical of Parthian armory, describes the .
The bone around the object showed signs of healing, indicating that the man survived for some time after impact, although it is not possible to determine for how long.
According to the author of , Mohammad Reza Eghdami, no other injuries were found of combat on the body, although the burial site contained several weapons and another skeleton with stab wounds. The decorated arrowhead highlights the high technical level of Parthian metallurgy.
Researchers believe that the fact that the arrow never been removed of the bone reveals limitations in Parthian medicineabout which very little is still known. Eghdami that “scientific information about medical practices from this period remains scarce”.
