New research has found evidence of the existence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 3,000 years ago.

A paper, written by Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes and Dr Walid Abdul-Hamid, suggests that the condition existed in the ancient world. It had previously been thought that the first instance of PTSD was described in Herodotus’ account of Athenian spear carrier Epizelus’ psychogenic mutism, following his experiences in the Marathon Wars.

Prof. Hacker Hughes, from Anglia Ruskin University, and Dr. Abdul-Hamid, Consultant Psychiatrist at the North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, have presented evidence that psychological traumas were suffered much earlier in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) during the Assyrian Dynasty, which ruled the area between 1300 and 609 BCE.