Mysterious Civilizations: Is There a Connection between Medicine and Architecture in Ancient Egypt and Peru?

Abstract

The ancient Egyptian and Peruvian Civilizations are two of the earliest cultures in human history. Through medical and architectural similarities, we wish to show a possible connection between these two cultures. A literature search was conducted by searching the database of Medline, National Geographic magazine, history books, and Google Scholar using the search terms: neurosurgery, pyramids, pyramidal architectures, ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, the connection between ancient Egypt and Peru. Both the ancient Egyptian and Peruvian Civilizations are well-known for their pioneering work in medicine and architecture; their accomplishments in these areas have been well-documented in the walls of uncovered tombs and discovered papyrus. Both these cultures also firmly believed in an afterlife and built pyramids to serve as tombs and homes for royalty in the afterlife. The sloping sides of the pyramids were inclined to signify the emergence of the physical body from Earth towards the Sun. Both civilizations independently pioneered the art of neurosurgery with different techniques and approaches. In this paper, we discuss the potential links between both civilizations. We recognize and appreciate the brilliance of these ancient cultures in mastering the medicinal and architectural sciences.

Keywords: ancient egyptian neurosurgery; ancient egyptian pyramids; ancient peruvian neurosurgery; ancient peruvian pyramids; great pyramids of giza; history of neurosurgery; the great city of caral.

Figure 1. A world map highlighting the ancient Egyptian pyramids, dates, and location in blue; and the ancient Peruvian pyramids, dates, and locations in green; in addition to the distance and date differences between the two civilizations above and below the orange arrow, respectively