Estudio virtual de un probable meningioma en un cráneo de época romana

[ES] Las enfermedades han acompañado a las poblaciones humanas desde la prehistoria. Conocer las paleopatologías y sus consecuencias puede ayudar a entender cómo han influido en las formas de vida de las poblaciones del pasado. Los estudios tafonómicos y paleopatológicos son claves para entender el origen de las lesiones; también pueden aportar información sobre las causas de muerte, el comportamiento de las poblaciones analizadas, así como la existencia de conflictos interpersonales o el cuidado de los enfermos. Se obtienen datos sobre la existencia de determinadas enfermedades en el registro arqueológico. Aquí presentamos el análisis de cuatro lesiones encontradas en un cráneo romano de la cueva de Marcenejas, situada en el norte de España. El análisis antropológico de este cráneo ha revelado que corresponde a un individuo masculino adulto. Este trabajo se centra en el diagnóstico diferencial de las lesiones para discernir las etiologías más probables. Se han aplicado las siguientes técnicas: análisis morfológico clásico, análisis tafonómico forense y análisis virtual. La microtomografía computarizada (MicroTC) y la microscopía 3D se han empleado como herramientas esenciales para el análisis virtual del cráneo y sus lesiones. Los resultados obtenidos han revelado la existencia de un tumor y tres traumatismos exocraneales, todos ellos ante mortem. La localización del tumor, así como su morfología junto con otros aspectos apoyan el meningioma como tipo de tumor más probable. Este meningioma representa el primer caso para estas cronologías en la Península Ibérica, donde hay pocos casos documentados. Las tres lesiones traumáticas revelan la existencia de lesiones producidas tanto por objetos contundentes como cortantes, relacionadas con eventos de violencia interpersonal. La aplicación del análisis 3D virtual ha demostrado que es factible identificar tumores en aquellas regiones craneales internas donde la lesión no es visible, aportando nuevos datos comparativos para el registro paleopatológico de poblaciones del pasado.[EN] Diseases have accompanied human populations since prehistoric times. Knowing the paleopathologies and their consequences derived from them can help us to understand their impact and how have been decisive in our ancestors' ways of life. Taphonomic and paleopathological studies are key to understanding how injuries occurred; they can provide information on causes of death, analyzed populations behaviour, such as the existence of interpersonal conflicts or how they took the care of the sick. Those studies also confirm the existence of certain diseases, mentioned in the archaeological record. This paper explains the analysis of four lesions found in a Roman-era cranium from Sima de Marcenejas, located in Northern Spain. An anthropological analysis of this cranium has revealed that it corresponds to an adult male individual. This work focuses on the differential diagnosis of the lesions, to be able to discern the most likely aetiologies. The following techniques have been implemented: classical morphological analysis, forensic taphonomic analysis and virtual analysis. MicroCT and 3D microscopy have been used as essential tools for the virtual analysis of the cranium and its lesions. The results obtained revealed the existence of a tumour and three exocranial traumas, all of them antemortem. The location of the tumour, as well as its morphology together with other aspects, support the meningioma as the most probable tumour type. This possible ancient meningioma represents the first case for these chronologies on the Iberian Peninsula, where there are few documented cases. The three traumatic lesions reveal the existence of injuries produced by both, blunt and sharp objects, related to events of interpersonal violence. By applying virtual 3D analyses, the researchers have demonstrated that it is viable to identify tumours in those internal cranial regions, where the lesion is not visible, thus providing new comparative data for the paleopathological record of past populations. Highlights: Meningiomas are rare in the archaeological record which complicates tracing themin ancient human populations. The use of computerized microtomography (MicroCT) and virtual 3D models makes it possible to identify tumoursin those internal cranial regions where the lesions are not visible. Paleopathological analysis of a Roman cranium has revealed, in addition to cranial trauma, a new possible case of meningioma.Rodríguez-Iglesias, D.; Pantoja-Pérez, A.; Fernández-Colón, P.; Pablos, A.; Alcaraz-Castaño, M.; Sala, N. (2023). 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Actividades educativas en el yacimiento de vertebrados miócenos de Somosaguas (Universidad Complutense, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid)

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

El yacimiento kárstico del Pleistoceno Superior de la Cueva del Camino en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid)

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

Homínidos y hienas en el Calvero de la Higuera (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid) durante el Pleistoceno superior. Resultados preliminares.

Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu

Reassessment of the Neandertal fossil collection from Abri Suard (La Chaise de Vouthon, Charente, France)

Abri Suard is one of the sites localized at La Chaise de Vouthon in Charente. La Chaise is a well-known prehistoric place, historically and archaeologically as it preserved long stratigraphic sequences documenting Lower to Upper Palaeolithic human occupations. A substantial number of Neandertal human remains have been discovered in a sedimentary unit associated to MIS 6-5 (250-120 kya) from Abri Suard, which makes them some of the earliest Western European Neandertals. Although most of the Ne..

Lethal Interpersonal Violence in the Middle Pleistocene

Evidence of interpersonal violence has been documented previously in Pleistocene members of the genus Homo, but only very rarely has this been posited as the possible manner of death. Here we report the earliest evidence of lethal interpersonal violence in the hominin fossil record. Cranium 17 recovered from the Sima de los Huesos Middle Pleistocene site shows two clear perimortem depression fractures on the frontal bone, interpreted as being produced by two episodes of localized blunt force trauma. The type of injuries, their location, the strong similarity of the fractures in shape and size, and the different orientations and implied trajectories of the two fractures suggest they were produced with the same object in face-to-face interpersonal conflict. Given that either of the two traumatic events was likely lethal, the presence of multiple blows implies an intention to kill. This finding shows that the lethal interpersonal violence is an ancient human behavior and has important implications for the accumulation of bodies at the site, supporting an anthropic origin

Long-term dog consumption during the Holocene at the Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain): case study of the El Portalón de Cueva Mayor site

Evidence of dog consumption at the El Portalón de Cueva Mayor site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain) from the Holocene is revealed for the first time. The taxonomical and taphonomical studies of the animal bones from the El Portalón site have been carried out. The morphological and metrical analyses indicate that 130 dog bone remains have been identified from the El Portalón site, including from the Neolithic (NISP = 23), Chalcolithic (Pre-Bell Beaker Chalcolithic and Bell Beaker Chalcolithic) (26), Early Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age (81). The anthropic evidence encompasses cut marks, fresh bone fractures, human tooth marks and fire modifications, thus constituting clear evidence of cynophagy, at least in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age levels in different contexts (habitat and funerary) from the El Portalón site (Atapuerca, Burgos). Furthermore, the fire alterations on two bone remains from the Neolithic suggest likely dog consumption due to the domestic character of the stratigraphical units where these bone remains were found. The taphonomic evidence suggests that domestic dogs were, at least occasionally, part of the diet of the humans who inhabited the El Portalón site, a fact that might be caused either by food shortages and hunger or as dog meat was considered as a delicacy

Palaeontological analisis of the Late Pleistocene Site of Cova Foradada (Xábia, Alicante, Spain)

En este trabajo se presenta el estudio de la estratigrafía, secuencia polínica, taxonomía y tafonomía del yacimiento del Pleistoceno superior de Cova Foradada, Xábia (Alicante). Las especies de macromamíferos representadas en el yacimiento son, dentro de los carnívoros, Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1978), Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827) y Felis silvestris (Schreber, 1777); del grupo de los artiodáctilos, Cervus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1978), Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838), Bos primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) y Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1978). Se han identificado dos especies de perisodáctilos Equus ferus (Boddaert , 1785) y Equus hydruntinus (Regalia, 1904). En todos los niveles del yacimiento se observa un claro predominio de los ungulados de talla media (Cervus elaphus) y talla pequeña (Capra pyrenaica). Los patrones de fracturación indican actividad humana y evidencian el aprovechamiento máximo de los recursos cárnicos. Se han encontrado marcas antrópicas en restos de lince, gato montés y leopardo. El análisis polínico pone de manifiesto el dominio de un paisaje muy abierto y empobrecido desde el punto de vista taxonómico.This study presents aspects related to the stratigraphy, pollen sequence, taxonomy and taphonomy of the Late Pleistocene site of Cova Foradada in Xábia (Alicante, Spain). The fossil material comes from Sector I of the site that comprises eight stratigraphic levels. Some of these levels have been previously dated (Casabó, 2001): 33,900 ± 310 B.P. for Level VII; 29,940 ± 150 B.P. for Level VI; 27,170 ± 150 B.P. and 29,420 ± 190 B.P. for Level V; and 6,130 ± 140 B.P. for Level III. The total number of identifiable remains represents a very low percentage of the total remains, mainly due to the high degree of fragmentation. The macrovertebrate fossils found are: Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1978), Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827) and Felis silvestris (Schreber, 1777) among the Carnivora; Cervus elaphus (Linnaeus, 1978), Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838), Bos primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) and Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1978) among the Artiodactyla ; and Equus ferus (Boddaert , 1785) and Equus hydruntinus (Regalia, 1904) among the Perisodactyla. Mid- and small-sized ungulates are clearly predominant along the whole sequence, such as Cervus elaphus for the former, and Capra pyrenaica for the latter. The taphonomical analysis allows to discard carnivore activity as the accumulation agent. Signs of carnivore activity are scarce, and they are only present in Level V. Fracture pattern in the bones show human activity as the main agent, characterized by the maximum exploitation of meat resources. Anthropic marks have been found in lynx, wild cat and leopard remains. The patterns of the cuts on these remains are typical of the exploitation of both the flesh and the fleece of these animals. Regarding the paleoenvironmental aspects, the pollen data show predominance of an open environment, depleted from the taxonomical point of view. The detailed pollen analysis allows us to distinguish three levels: the base level shows a more abundant forest cover with Pinus and Juniperus as predominant taxa; the middle level shows signs of a more extreme climate period; and the uppermost level shows a phase of recovering of the flora, with a reduced forest and a varied herbaceous courtship (Apiaceae, Poaceae and Fabaceae).Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y PaleontologíaFac. de Ciencias GeológicasTRUEpu