Gamma 51
Among the remains found in Mycenae's Grave Circle B was Gamma 51, a young man of twenty-eight who stood 5 feet 8 inches tall. Like the other individuals, he was robust, and in life would have been long and lean.
His was a rather poor burial, for while his neighbor and contemporary Gamma 55 was given gold and a sword, Gamma 51 was buried only with a few vases, and laid out at the foot of the grave, where he just managed to fit.
What is striking about Gamma 51 is the evidence of trepination on his skull. Trepination is a surgical practice which goes back to Neolithic times, and involves cutting a hole in the skull. Gamma 51 underwent the procedure, perhaps to relieve pressure caused by the blow he received to the right frontal bone. Apparently, he did not survive long after the operation, because there is no evidence of healing around the hole.
