2,200-year-old prosthesis in a tomb in China

Archaeologists found 2,200-year-old dating horseshoe prostheses buried with a man's remains in the cemetery near Turpan, China.

In the tomb, archaeologists found the remains of a man and a woman. The left leg of the deformed man, kneecap, the femur and tibia were fixed at an angle of 80 degrees. This man could not stretch his legs, leading to difficulty in walking. Therefore, the fake leg can make the movement of men more convenient.

The horseshoe-shaped prosthetic leg in a 2,200-year-old tomb in China.(Photo: Chinese Archaeological Institute).

The fake leg is made of birch wood . It has seven holes along the sides and a leather band to fix. The lower part of the leg is cylindrical, the end is wrapped with ox horn or horseshoe to increase friction.

According to two studies published in Bridging Eurasia in 2013 and Quaternary International in 2014, men are about 50 - 65 years old and about 1.7 meters tall. Causes of knee deformity can be arthritis, rheumatism or injury. Researchers said the man had suffered from pneumonia. This may also be the cause of bone deformity.

It is likely that the non-rich man because there is only one vase and ceramic cup, a wooden plate and a wooden bow. The tomb was opened later to bring the 20-year-old woman's body into. This affects his remains. The tomb is located in a population of 30 graves that archaeologists excavated in the cemetery.

The graves in the cemetery may belong to the Gushi ethnic people. This is a small state that appeared in the middle of the Western Han Dynasty, located in the Turfan River basin, China. Scientists at the local Turfanica Research Institute excavated the graveyard in 2007-2008.