First-of-Its-Kind Medical Artifact Found in Bulgaria Sheds Light on Roman Surgery
Jerusalem, 5 July, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Petrich, Southwestern Bulgaria (BTA) – A very rare ancient medical instrument used in surgeries to remove bladder stones has been discovered during archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica, archaeology professor Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski told BTA. The instrument was found in a room adjacent to the Temple of Hercules in the city. According to the professor, the instrument is an extremely rare find not only for Bulgaria, but also worldwide. From the available scientific literature, only one other similar discovery is known in Italy.
“This is a set of medical instruments that ancient physicians used in their practice to perform operations to remove stones from the bladder. This was a very delicate, dangerous, but necessary surgical intervention,” said Vagalinski. The professor added that the instrument was known as a litulkos. The bronze handle of the double hook of the instrument, decorated with embossed rings, has been preserved, with only its curved tips missing.
The archaeologist noted that ancient medicine had a variety of surgical instruments at its disposal – scalpels, needles, curettes, spoons and other specialized tools, but such finds are rare. The discovered instrument is highly specialized and could only have been used by a well-trained doctor.
“This shows a high level of medical care in Heraclea Sintica during the first three centuries of the Roman Empire, when the city was experiencing an economic boom,” he said.
According to the professor, the bladder stones were defined by ancient writers such as Pliny the Elder as the most painful of ailments, and the physician Ammonius of Alexandria (3rd century BC) is considered the creator of the surgical method for its treatment and the specialized instruments for this intervention.
“That’s why they called Ammonius ‘Lithotomos,’ that is, ‘The Stone Cutter.’ The only known parallel to our litulkos is a tool found in Italy,” Vagalinski said.
According to him, the discovery of the instrument in a room adjacent to the temple of Hercules gives grounds for the working hypothesis that pilgrims seeking healing through the cult of the mythical hero may have been treated there. “The fact that we found it in a room next to the temple of Hercules suggests that perhaps sick people seeking the help of the mythical hero – the son of Zeus himself – were treated there,” the archaeologist pointed out.
Vagalinski said the discovery testifies to a high level of medical practice in Heraclea Sintica during the Roman era. Archaeologists continue to study the room, and after processing all the finds, they will be able to draw more definitive conclusions about its function. The stratigraphic dating of the find is from the 3rd century AD.
Archaeological investigations of the premises are continuing. A total of 34 workers and seven archaeologists are participating in the excavations. In the areas outside the temple and immediately adjacent to it, mechanized equipment is being used to remove thick river sediments, after which the investigations continue manually to clarify the architecture around the temple of Hercules.
