If an alien civilization far more advanced than anything on Earth existed thousands of years ago, would they have embedded a piece of metal inside someone’s skull? That is, at least, what this looks like.

An (undoubtedly human) skull from Peru, which was donated to the Museum of Osteology in Oklahoma from a private collection, is now the object of controversy because of a mysterious metal implant. The elongated skull almost looks alien, but head-binding was a common practice in Peru and other parts of the ancient world. It has not yet been carbon dated or examined up close by any archaeologists. Whether the implant is authentic raises questions.

But why is there even a gaping hole in the first place? It could the been blunt-force trauma. It could have also been trepanation. Long before ibuprofen existed, it was thought cutting an opening into the skull would relieve pressure from fluid that caused headaches. Archaeologist John Verano of Tulane University, an expert in trepanned skulls and also author of the book Holes in the Head, is not convinced the piece of metal had any medical use back then.

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“Forgeries have been pretty easy to recognize because they made no sense in terms of surgical treatments,” he told SYFY WIRE. “I’m highly dubious; it is probably a cranium ‘accessorized’ to increase its value to a collector”.

Read more: SYFY