Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Archaeologists found an old tool in Bulgaria. It is about 1,800 years old.
The tool was used by Roman doctors long ago. It helped remove painful stones from inside the body.
The tool is made of bronze metal. It was found near an old temple called the Temple of Hercules.
This kind of tool is very rare. Only one other tool like it has ever been found, and it was in Italy.
- archaeologist
- A scientist who studies old objects and places from the past
- ancient
- Very old, from a long time ago
- Roman
- Relating to ancient Rome and its empire
- bronze
- A hard, brownish metal made by mixing copper and tin
- temple
- A building used for worship
- rare
- Not found or seen very often
- stone (medical)
- A hard lump that can form inside the body and cause pain
- unearth
- To dig up and find something buried
Level 2 — Elementary
Archaeologists working at the ruins of Heraclea Sintica in southwestern Bulgaria have discovered a rare bronze surgical instrument used by ancient Roman doctors.
The tool, known as a lithulkos, was used for the painful procedure of removing bladder stones. It dates back to the 3rd century AD, roughly 1,800 years ago.
It was found in a room located next to the site's Temple of Hercules, at a time when Heraclea Sintica was experiencing significant economic growth under Roman rule.
Only one other comparable surgical instrument has ever been found anywhere, discovered in Italy, which makes this new find extremely rare and valuable for understanding ancient medicine.
- surgical instrument
- A tool used by doctors during a medical operation
- procedure
- A set of actions carried out to achieve a particular medical result
- bladder stone
- A hard mineral mass that forms in the bladder and can cause pain
- economic growth
- An increase in a region's wealth, trade, or production
- Roman rule
- A period when a place was governed by the Roman Empire
- comparable
- Similar enough to be usefully compared
- valuable (historically)
- Important for understanding or learning about something
- ruins
- The remains of an old structure or settlement
Level 3 — Intermediate
Archaeologists excavating the Roman-era ruins of Heraclea Sintica in southwestern Bulgaria have announced the discovery of an exceptionally rare bronze surgical instrument, offering a unique glimpse into the medical practices of the ancient Roman world.
The instrument, known in antiquity as a lithulkos, was used for the painful procedure of removing bladder stones. Excavation director Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski dates the find to the 3rd century AD, a period when the city was experiencing significant economic growth under the Roman Empire.
While the tool's curved hooks did not survive the intervening centuries, its bronze handle, adorned with a series of embossed rings, remains remarkably well preserved, having been discovered inside a room adjacent to the site's Temple of Hercules.
The find's significance is amplified by its scarcity: only one other comparable lithulkos has ever been documented anywhere in the archaeological record, previously unearthed in Italy, underscoring how infrequently such specialized medical tools survive to be recovered.
- exceptionally
- To an unusually great extent
- antiquity
- The ancient past, especially the time of Greek and Roman civilization
- excavation director
- The archaeologist in charge of a dig site
- intervening (centuries)
- Occurring or existing between two points in time
- adorned
- Decorated with something to make it more attractive
- embossed
- Having a raised design pressed or carved into a surface
- adjacent
- Next to or adjoining something else
- scarcity
- The state of being rare or in short supply
Level 4 — Advanced
Archaeologists excavating the Roman-era ruins of Heraclea Sintica in southwestern Bulgaria have announced the recovery of an exceptionally rare bronze surgical instrument, furnishing an unusually direct window into the medical practices of the ancient Roman world.
The implement, known in antiquity as a lithulkos, was employed in the excruciating procedure of extracting bladder stones. Excavation director Professor Lyudmil Vagalinski dates the artifact to the 3rd century AD, a period during which the city was undergoing pronounced economic expansion under Roman imperial administration.
Although the instrument's curved hooks failed to survive the intervening seventeen centuries, its bronze handle, adorned with a succession of embossed rings, remains remarkably well preserved, having been recovered from a chamber immediately adjacent to the site's Temple of Hercules.
The discovery's significance is considerably amplified by its rarity: only a single comparable lithulkos has ever been documented in the archaeological record, previously unearthed in Italy, a scarcity that underscores both the fragility of specialized bronze medical instruments and the exceptional circumstances required for their survival and eventual recovery.
- furnishing (providing)
- Supplying or giving access to something
- excruciating
- Intensely painful
- imperial administration
- The governing structure of an empire
- pronounced (expansion)
- Very noticeable or marked
- chamber
- An enclosed room, especially within a larger structure
- fragility
- The quality of being easily broken or damaged
- eventual
- Occurring at the end of a process or period of time
- artifact
- An object made or shaped by human hands, especially of historical interest
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