Bambino di 12-13 anni deceduto in Galilea, in seguito a violento trauma cranico. Le indagini hanno dimostrato la presenza di una frattura composta del cranio, con linee di frattura convergenti circostanti e con un frammento depresso al di sotto del profilo anatomico dell'osso.
Il tipo di lesione è quello che si nota dopo un trauma contundente 'ottuso' (non da oggetto acuminato) in seguito a violenza interumana, ma potrebbe essersi prodotto anche in altro modo.
Si presume che la lesione abbia prodotto un discreto danno cerebrale, con esito in difficoltà nel controllo dei movimenti, disturbi psicologici, modifica del comportamento, difficoltà nella comunicazione.
Cerimonia funebre: sul torace del bimbo sono state deliberatamente poste due corna di cervo.
Data dell'accaduto: circa 100.000 anni fa, nel Paleolitico.
Una zona del Mondo in cui non è mai stato facile morire di vecchiaia...
3-D image of Palaeolithic child's skull reveals trauma, brain damage
Three-dimensional imaging of a Palaeolithic child's skull reveals potentially violent head trauma that likely lead to brain damage, according to a study published July 23, 2014 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Hélène Coqueugniot and colleagues from CNRS -- Université de Bordeaux and EPHE.
The Qafzeh 11 skull:
a: norma facialis. b: norma inferior. c: norma superior. d: close-up view of the frontal lesion (healed fracture line is visible on the right side of the hole while fracturing lines above and below the hole are corresponding to post-mortem alteration).
Black arrows on a and c indicate location of the lesion
[Credit: Coqueugniot H, et al. PLOS ONE]
A Palaeolithic child that lived ~100 thousand years ago found at Qafzeh in lower Galilee, Israel, was originally thought to have a skull lesion that resulted from a trauma that healed.
The child died at about 12-13 years old, but the circumstances surround the child's death remain mysterious.
To better understand the injury, the authors of this study aimed to re-appraise the child's impact wound using 3D imaging, which allows scientists to better explore inner bone lesions, to evaluate their impact on soft tissues, and to estimate brain size to reconstruct the events surrounding the skull trauma.
3D reconstruction reveals that the child's skull fracture appears to be compound, with a broken piece depressed in the skull, surrounded by linear fractures.
This is a 3-D reconstruction of skull compound fracture and endocranial surface changes [Credit: Coqueugniot H, et al.PLOS ONE]
The depressed fracture very likely caused a moderate traumatic brain injury, possibly resulting in personality changes, trouble controlling movements, and difficulty in social communication.
The authors conclude that, the child represents the oldest documented human case of severe skull trauma available from south-western Asia.
Furthermore, the child appears to have received special social attention after death, as the body positioning seems intentional with two deer antlers lying on the upper part of the adolescent's chest, likely suggesting a deliberate ceremonial burial.
Hélène Coqueugniot added, "Digital imaging and 3D reconstruction evidenced the oldest traumatic brain injury in a Palaeolithic child.
Post-traumatic neuropsychological disorders could have impaired social life of this individual who was buried, when teenager, with a special ritual raising the question of compassion in Prehistory."
Source: PLOS
[July 23, 2014]
