Foot polydactyly and bipartite medial cuneiform: A case of co

HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology 66 (2015) 216–228
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
HOMO - Journal of Comparative
Human Biology
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jchb
Foot polydactyly and bipartite medial
cuneiform: A case of co-occurrence in a Celtic
skeleton from Verona (Italy)
Z. Laffranchi a, J.S. Martín Flórez a, S.A. Jiménez Brobeil a,∗,
V. Castellani b
a
Departamento de Medicina Legal, Toxicología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Medicina, Avda. de
Madrid 11, 18071 Granada, Spain
b
U.O.C. Radiologia ULSS 20 Verona, Dipartimento Interdirezionale per l’Area Sanitaria, Ospedale G.
Fracastoro, Via Circonvallazione 1, 37047 San Bonifacio, Verona, Italy
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history:
Received 15 October 2014
Accepted 14 January 2015
a b s t r a c t
We report a case of bilateral foot polydactyly and bipartite medial
cuneiform in a male individual buried in a Celtic/Roman necropolis (3rd to 1st century BCE) in the city of Verona (Italy). During the
construction of an underground garage in the main courtyard of
the Bishop’s Seminary at Verona between 2005 and 2010, archaeologists uncovered the remains of 174 individuals (108 non-adults
and 66 adults). It is thought that these graves could belong to some
of the first inhabitants of the urban area of Verona. The individual presented here (US 2807) is a middle-aged male (40–50 years)
in a good state of preservation. His estimated stature is 1756 mm
(±32.1 mm). This male presents congenital anomalies in the feet
and dental agenesis. We believe this to be the only known archaeological case of bilateral postaxial polydactyly with forked (Y) shape,
in which both fifth metatarsals are associated with complete bipartition of the left medial cuneiform and partial bipartition of the
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 958246340.
E-mail address: [email protected] (S.A. Jiménez Brobeil).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jchb.2015.01.003
0018-442X/© 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Z. Laffranchi et al. / HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology 66 (2015) 216–228
217
right one. Polydactyly is fairly common in modern clinical cases
but bipartite medial cuneiform is relatively rare; neither of these
congenital conditions is well documented archaeologically.
© 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
r i a s s u n t o
Si presenta lo studio di un caso archeologico di polidattilia e di
bipartizione dell’osso cuneiforme mediale in entrambi i piedi di un
individuo di sesso maschile. L’inumato è stato rinvenuto durante
lo scavo di una necropoli Gallo-Romana di III-I secolo a.C., tenutosi
tra il 2005 e il 2010 nella città di Verona (Italia). Durante i lavori
di costruzione di un parcheggio sotterraneo nel Cortile Maggiore
del Seminario Vescovile di Verona, gli archeologi hanno rinvenuto
i resti scheletrici di 174 individui (108 infanti e 66 adulti). L’idea
iniziale è che queste sepolture possano appartenere ai primi abitanti dell’area urbana di Verona. Il caso ivi descritto (US 2807)
corrisponde a un uomo maturo di 40–50 anni che si presenta in un
buon stato di conservazione. La statura stimata è di circa 1756 mm
(±32.1 mm). L’individuo mostra anomalie congenite nei piedi e agenesie dentarie. Si ritiene che si tratti dell’unico caso archeologico
noto di polidattilia bilaterale post-assiale con biforcazione (forma
di Y) del quinto metatarso associato con la completa bipartizione
del cuneiforme mediale sinistro e la parziale bipartizione del destro.
La polidattilia sembra essere una condizione piuttosto comune
nella casistica clinica moderna mentre la bipartizione dell’osso
cuneiforme mediale risulta, d’altra parte, relativamente rara; nessuna di queste anomalie genetiche sembra essere ben documentata
nel registro archeologico.
© 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Introduction
The construction of an underground garage in the main courtyard of the Bishop’s Seminary at
Verona (Italy) between 2005 and 2010 led to the discovery of a large native/Roman necropolis (3rd to
1st century BCE) of a Roman-influenced Celtic culture (Galli Cenomani). The site contains approximately
163 simple burial graves with a minimum of 174 skeletons in a good state of preservation. The majority
of individuals are non-adults (108 individuals), and there are 66 adults. The burials are currently under
study and results have not been published. This short report describes the only individual from this
necropolis (US 2807) showing the co-presence of unusual congenital anomalies: foot polydactyly,
bipartite medial cuneiform and dental agenesis.
Archaeological context and general description of individual US 2807
In the “Seminario Vescovile” necropolis of Verona, individuals are buried in single graves, with the
body laid out in supine position. This pattern differs from that of other La Tène cemeteries, where
funerary rituals usually included both inhumations and, more frequently, cremations. Grave goods
include animal bones, ceramics, rare weapons and decorations. These ritual objects are documented
in many but not all of the adult and non-adult burials. The chronology of the burials is associated with
a period of cultural and political transition during which Celtic populations (late Iron Age groups)
lived alongside the first Roman communities in the region (3rd to 1st century BCE). Archaeologists
first considered that this necropolis might belong to some of the first inhabitants of urban Verona
(Cavalieri Manasse and Salzani, unpublished results; Thompson and Bersani, unpublished results).
ID
100112
Title
Footpolydactylyandbipartitemedialcuneiform:Acaseofco-occurrenceinaCelticskeletonfromVerona
(Italy)
http://fulltext.study/article/100112
http://FullText.Study
Pages
13