(Astigan) – An ancient skull was discovered in Spain that is believed to constitute the earliest documented record of skull and brain deformities.

During fieldwork at the Sima de los Huesos in Atapuerca, Spain, in 2001 and 2002, scientists have discovered a multitude of skull pieces that were later put together to constitute Cranium 14. The skull is believed to have belonged to an infant, dating back into the Middle Pleistocene, thus being the oldest evidence in human evolution of a very rare skull deformity.

Cranium 14 presents the signs of craniosynostosis with resulting brain deformities and very likely, asymmetric facial skeleton. Craniosynostosis is a rare medical condition that consists of a premature fusion of one or more cranial sutures that result in skull and brain deformities.

The cause of the deformity is hard to establish, however “[the] premature fusion started in the womb, during the third gestational term, 28/34 weeks, and it probably was of traumatic origin, including a hit, a lesion and other possible constraints,” Ana Gracia of the UCM-ISCIII Center of Human Evolution and Behavior told Astigan.

Care

In various cases in history, children with illnesses and deformities were abandoned. One such case may be considered the cemetery of the medieval hospital of St. James and St. Mary Magdalene in Chichester, England, where a high number of deformed skulls have been found, said Ana Gracia.

However, the Middle Pleistocene child lived for a number of years during which she/he received care. “This child had received the same care or opportunities as any other children of this population. She/he was cared as we do with our children today, independently of the autonomy level of the child” Gracia added.

Age at death

For estimating the child’s age at death, the scientists have compared the Supraorbital thickness of Cranium 14 with other two examples of immature skulls with an estimated age at death ranging from 12 to 14 years old. Both TLP (thickness at the lateral point) and TMOP (thickness at the midorbital point) values were found to be much lower in the case of Cranium 14, suggesting that the child was younger than 12 years old.

“Cranium 14 was older than 5 years old and younger than 12 years old. So she/he was around 10 years old when she/he died,” Ana Gracia added.

Cranium 14 was discovered at the Sima de los Huesos in Atapuerca, Spain, a Middle Pleistocene site dating back more that 530 kya (530.000 years). More than 6000 human fossils have been discovered, belonging to at least 28 individuals of both sexes and different ages at death.

“Furthermore, this accumulation has been interpreted as an anthropic one, with only one very beautiful stone tool found, a hand axe, suggesting an evidence of the earliest ‘symbolic’ human accumulation,” said Ana Gracia.

Vlad Jecan

Tags: ancient skull, Craniosynostosis, cranium 14, human evolution, middle Pleistocene, spain