The oldest skull surgery in North America dates back a staggering 3,000 years, new research has found.

Analysis of a prehistoric man’s skull found a hole in his forehead, according to bioarchaeologist Diana Simpson from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Data suggests that someone scraped the bone out of the skull as it sustained trauma around its oval opening, reported Science News.

What’s more, bone regrowth was identified around the skull’s opening, indicating that the man lived for up to one year after the procedure.

Simpson noted that one potential reason behind the gory ‘surgery’ may have been to reduce brain swelling.

Several fractures were also found above the man’s left eye, left arm, leg, and collarbone.

When looking at the traumas holistically, they suggest that the brain injury may have been caused by an attack or fall, according to Simpson.

The archaeologist presented the findings at a virtual session of the annual meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists.

Researchers excavated the remains in northwest Alabama, and estimate them to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old.

While skull surgery can be traced as far back as 13,000 years ago, this discovery marks North America’s oldest known case.

Items found near the man’s grave suggest he may have been a ritual practitioner or shaman.

Some of the objects included sharpened bone pins and deer and turkey bones, which may have been used for tattooing, Science News reported.

Unearthed originally in the 1940s at Little Bear Creek Site, the man’s grave was found alongside 162 others.

After an assessment, the remains were sent back to local Native American communities for reburial.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission.