A prosthetic leg was unearthed in an ancient tomb in the suburban area of Turpan in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, situated in northwest China, according to a July 11 article in the Guangming Daily. The leg was discovered among wooden tools and the skeleton that had an amputation of the right leg and deformed thigh bones.
The prosthetic leg, which was made of wood, was about 3.5 inches long. The upper and the lower halves of the leg were laced together by leather strings, forming what was described as a “relatively adjustable” joint.
Archeologists claim that the leg dates back 2,300 years and is a few hundred years older that the bronze-made Roman Capua prosthetic leg and the wooden Cairo toe, both of which scientists have previously claimed were the oldest prostheses.
