An unprecedented case of cranial surgery in Longobard Italy (6th–8th century) using a cruciform incision

Ileana Micarelli (1) , Flavia Strani (2) , Samuel Bédécarrats (3) , Sara Bernardini (4) , Robert Paine (4) , Lawrence Bliquez (5) , Caterina Giostra (6) , Valentina Gazzaniga (4) , Mary Anne Tafuri (4) , Giorgio Manzi (4)

1 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
2 University of Zaragoza - Universidad de Zaragoza [Zaragoza]
3 CRAHAM - Centre Michel de Boüard - Centre de recherches archéologiques et historiques anciennes et médiévales
4 UNIROMA - Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" = Sapienza University [Rome]
5 University of Washington [Seattle]
6 Unicatt - Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore [Milano]

The Longobard necropolis of Castel Trosino dates from the 6th to the 8th century CE. Among the tombs excavated, the skull of an older female shows the first evidence of a cross-shaped bone modification on a living subject. Macroscopic, microscopic, and CT scan analyses revealed signs of at least two sets of scraping marks. Specifically, SEM analysis shows that perimortem bone-scraping traces are present on the skull. Both healed and non-healed defects suggest that the woman has received at least twice intentional bone modifications to address her condition. This is the first evidence of a cross-shaped therapeutic intervention on a living subject.

Keywords: bioarchaeology CT scan paleopathology SEM analysis skull defect; bioarchaeology; CT scan; paleopathology; SEM analysis; skull defect

Domains: Humanities and Social Sciences; Biological anthropology

Ileana Micarelli, Flavia Strani, Samuel Bédécarrats, Sara Bernardini, Robert Paine, et al.. An unprecedented case of cranial surgery in Longobard Italy (6th–8th century) using a cruciform incision. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2023, ⟨10.1002/oa.3202⟩. ⟨hal-03964969⟩