The First Attempt to Separate Siamese Twins Was Made in Armenia in the 10th Century

This pair of nameless Siamese twins managed to survive infancy in the 10th century, as evidenced by the records left by several historians of that time.

Ten centuries ago, there were only a few adult Siamese twins. In the ancient world, congenital anomalies were considered a bad omen, and children therefore were often allowed to die.

These boys were born in Armenia and arrived in Constantinople as adults. They were known at the imperial court and wandered in local villages, showing themselves.

At the times of Constantine VII’s reign in the mid-900s, the twins returned to Constantinople, where one of them passed away. Doctors attempted to separate them to save the second twin. This was the first such surgery in history. But unfortunately, the second twin survived only for three days.