SURVIVING A TRAUMATIC HEAD INJURY IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE: A CASE STUDY FROM TRANSYLVANIA
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 2021-03-21

Bioarchaeologists routinely examine antemortem skeletal trauma in order to better understand accidental injuries and instances of interpersonal violence in the past. Few studies, however, have considered or interpreted how people managed long-term effects of traumatic injuries, particularly those that may have had disabling consequences. Moreover, only recently have scholars considered the neurological effects of traumatic head injuries and the necessity of post-injury caregiving required for survival. In the case study presented here, we describe a middle-aged or old adult male (Burial 195) who suffered a traumatic head injury prior to his death. The individual’s skeletal remains were recovered from a Christian churchyard in the Székely region of Transylvania as part of a salvage excavation and radiocarbon dated between Cal 1450 AD and 1640 AD. The left parietal exhibits evidence of a healing penetrating injury, approximately 39 mm superior to the squamosal suture. This anatomical location places the injury above the “hat brim line” which is often utilized in forensic anthropology to make inferences about interpersonal violent contact. The defect measures approximately 25 mm anterior-posteriorly and 16 mm inferior-superiorly, with blunted, rounded edges that are indicative of a considerably well-healed injury. From the ovoid defect, a radiating fracture extends anteriorly 80 mm into the frontal, terminating superior to the left orbit. Beyond describing the osteological presentation of this injury, we consider injuries to surrounding brain tissue and the possible implications for post-injury functioning.


Author(s): Bethard, Jonathan (University of South Florida) - Ainger, Timothy (University of Kentucky College of Medicine) - Gonciar, Andre (ArchaeoTek-Canada) - Nyaradi, Zsolt (Haaz Rezso Muzeum)