
Remains of an ancient warrior who died almost two thousand years ago from 'failed brain surgery' have been found in Russia.

He was buried next to an 'elite' toddler who went to the afterlife wearing stunning large gold earrings, a bracelet of semi-precious stones, and necklaces made of coral, amethyst, glass and cornelian.

The child was interred with precious gem stones depicting scenes from the myths of Ancient Greece.

Archaeologists are trying to work out if the fighter and the child, whose sex is not yet determined, are linked.

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Remains of an ancient warrior who died almost two thousand years ago (pictured) from 'failed brain surgery' have been found in Russia. The Sarmatian fighter died not in a battle, but during a poorly performed skull surgery, Russian archaeologists said

They were found in adjacent graves dating to around 1,800 years ago.

The Sarmatian warrior had a short sword with no hilt in a sheath made of orange-coloured leather, and a quiver with a set of arrowheads.

Experts say a gaping gash in his head was not a battlefield wound, but rather a desperate attempt by ancient medics perform life-saving surgery.

Archaeologist Damir Solovyev said: 'The big round hole points to failed skull surgery.

'The edges of the hole have no traces of bone tissue regrowth, which means that the man most likely died during the operation.'

The man was buried next to an 'elite' toddler (pictured) who went to the afterlife wearing stunning large gold earrings, a bracelet of semi-precious stones, and necklaces made of coral, amethyst, glass and cornelian. The child was interred with precious gem stones depicting scenes from the myths of Ancient Greece

Earlier this summer a treasure trove of golden and silver jewellery, weaponry, valuables and artfully made household items - also dating back 2,000 years - were found buried inside an elderly nomad grave

Archaeologists are trying to work out if the fighter (pictured) and the child, whose sex is not yet determined, are linked. They were found in adjacent graves dating to around 1,800 years ago

The Sarmatian warrior has a short sword with no hilt in a sheath made of orange-coloured leather, and a quiver with a set of arrowheads. Experts say a gaping gash in his head was not a battlefield wound, but rather a desperate attempted by ancient medics perform life-saving surgery. Here, a duck-shaped oil jar buried together with the little child

The toddler is believed to be aged around two and the cause of death is unclear.

But the child, whose milk teeth were not fully formed, was buried with a large collection of remarkable jewellery suggesting the infant had a prominent place in nomadic society.

'The grave is literally showered with beads of all sizes,' said Solovyov.

'An amazingly preserved duck-shaped oil jar was found inside the burial, along with several stunning examples of gemstone jewellery depicting scenes from the myths of Ancient Greece.

'One of them shows legendary hero Perseus holding the head of Medusa Gorgon.'

Brain surgery or trepanation was known in ancient times.

Experts say a gaping gash in his head was not a battlefield wound, but rather a desperate attempted by ancient medics perform life-saving surgery. Archaeologist Damir Solovyev said: 'The big round hole points to failed skull surgery. Pictured: the remains of the skeleton

Research in Russia indicates prehistoric medics conducting primitive procedures of this kind used cannabis, magic mushrooms, and even Shamanic practices like ecstatic dancing as anaesthetics to dull the pain.

The aim of surgery may have been to ease severe headaches, cure a haematoma, following skull injuries, or seeking to overcome epilepsy.

The archaeological site in Astrakhan region, close to the Caspian Sea, was discovered earlier this year by a local farmer who found a bronze pot while making a garbage pit on his land.

Research in Russia indicates prehistoric medics conducting primitive procedures of this kind used cannabis, magic mushrooms, and even Shamanic practices like ecstatic dancing as anaesthetics to dull the pain. Here, A large part of the man's skull was taken out by an ancient surgeon who tried to save the warrior's life by doing trepanation

Amazingly preserved duck-shaped oil jar was found inside the burial, along with several stunning stones depicting scenes from Ancient Greek myths. here, one item depicting the legend of Perseus

A child whose milky teeth hasn't properly formed yet was buried wearing stunning large golden earrings, a bracelet of semi-precious stones on her right hand, and several sets of necklaces with beads made of coral, amethyst, glass and cornelian scattering the grave (pictured)

WHAT IS TREPANATION? Trepanation is a procedure which was done throughout human history. It involves removing a section of the skull and was often done on animals and humans. The first recorded proof of this was done on a cow in the Stone Age 3,000 years ago. It was a process that was still being conducted in the 18th century. The belief was that for many ailments that involved severe pain in the head of a patient, removing a circular piece of the cranium would release the pressure. Before then, dating back to the Neolithic era, people would drill or scrape a hole into the head of people exhibiting abnormal behaviour. It is thought that this would release the demons held in the skull of the afflicted. This gruesome-looking tool kit was used in the 18th century by physicians to perform trepanations - the removal of a piece of skull to relieve the pressure in the head Advertisement

A large part of the man's skull was taken out by an ancient surgeon who tried to save the warrior's life by doing trepanation. The big round hole in the skull points to a failed skull surgery', said Damir Solovyev. 'Edges of the hole have no traces of bone tissue regrowth, which means that the man most likely died during the operation carried more than 1500 years ago'

The archaeological site in Astrakhan region, close to the Caspian Sea, was discovered earlier this year by a local farmer who found a bronze pot while making a garbage pit on his land. Here, the warrior's short sword had no hilt and was buried in a sheath made of orange-coloured leather

Trepanation is a procedure which was done throughout human history. It involves removing a section of the skull and was often done on animals and humans. The first recorded proof of this was done on a cow in the Stone Age 3,000 years ago. Here, the child's massive golden earrings