GREECE:  An experienced surgeon treating a soldier on the island of Thasos tried everything to alleviate his patient’s debilitating infection, even performing a complex procedure that entailed boring holes in his skull. The man, who was buried at the site of Palaiokastro between the 4th and 7th centuries A.D., was probably a mounted archer in the Roman army. His severe infection may have been caused by a ruptured eardrum or possibly a tumor. The procedure was ultimately unsuccessful despite the doctor’s skill.