Interpretation of the Facial Skeleton – Post-Traumatic Asymmetry in Palaeopathology

The presented study is focused on the observation and interpretation of post-traumatic changes in the facial skeleton. In injuries of the facial bones, it is particularly significant during which growth period the fracture occurred. Selected cases came from three differently dated periods to demonstrate some types of asymmetry we encountered in bone remains from archaeological researches – 1) approximately 12th–13th centuries BC – Saqqara Egypt, 2) 5th century – Libiva Czech Republic and 3) 13th–18th centuries – Křtiny, Czech Republic. All the above-mentioned cases were most likely a consequence of interpersonal violence. It can be assumed that, in the female, the trauma could have been the result of domestic violence. The trauma in the male could rather have arisen during a skirmish. The use of modern clinical data provides the opportunity to interpret the ancient material with a greater degree of accuracy

Archaeology · Facial skeleton · Facial symmetry · Linguistics · Paleopathology · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · History · Medicine · Philosophy · Anatomy · Orthodontics