... who was 'high on cannabis to numb the pain', archaeologists claim

• It is believed the double trepanation procedure was survived by the warrior as it showed signs of healing  
• May have been inflicted on the man as part of 'brain surgery' to alleviate pain or as part of a ritual  
• The warrior was from the Ingul catacomb culture and was likely high on cannabis to numb the pain 

The skull of a prehistoric warrior who lived 4,000 years ago has been unearthed with two holes in his skull as a result of an operation from 'ancient brain surgeons'.  

Archaeologists believe the man from a Stone Age axe-making culture may have suffered from bad headaches and went on to live for some years after the intrusive trepanation procedure as the wounds showed signs of healing.

Dr Sergey Slepchenko, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Novosibirsk, said the 'most obvious' anaesthetic was cannabis. 

The well-preserved skull was found on a disused Stalinist shooting range in the breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova in eastern Europe.

The skull of a prehistoric warrior who lived 4,000 years ago has been unearthed with two holes in his skull as a result of rudimentary brain surgery (pictured)