short note
A lunate-triquetral coalition from a commingled funerary context from the Chalcolithic Perdigões ditched enclosures of Portugal
Godinho, Ricardo Miguel; Santos, Ana Luísa; Valera, António Carlos
Anthropologischer Anzeiger Volume 77 No. 1 (2020), p. 83 - 88
published: Feb 13, 2020
published online: Jul 19, 2019
manuscript accepted: Apr 28, 2019
manuscript revision received: Apr 19, 2019
manuscript revision requested: Mar 27, 2019
manuscript received: Sep 4, 2018
DOI: 10.1127/anthranz/2019/0935
ArtNo. ESP140007701006, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Carpal coalitions, resulting from a failure of separation of the cartilaginous precursors of the carpal bones during gestation, may be osseous or non-osseous. Even though lunate-triquetral coalitions are the most common of all carpal coalitions there is only one previous palaeopathological report of such a coalition. This study presents a non-osseous lunate-triquetral coalition found amongst the mostly cremated commingled bones from a Chalcolithic pit at Perdigões (Portugal). The cremated bones show evidence of burning at varying but mostly at generally high temperatures. The perfect articulation between these right bones and pinpoint pitting in the lunate-triquetral joint were crucial for the identification of this congenital condition. Carpal coalitions are more frequent in African than European populations. Artifacts produced from ivory of African origin were found in Perdigões, however it is not possible to establish the ancestry of this individual.
Keywords
Prehistory • cremains • carpal coalitions • lunate-triquetral coalition • congenital pathology