Foot polydactyly and bipartite medial cuneiform: A case of co-occurrence in a Celtic skeleton from Verona (Italy)

We report a case of bilateral foot polydactyly and bipartite medial cuneiform in a male individual buried in a Celtic/Roman necropolis (3rd to 1st century BCE) in the city of Verona (Italy). During the construction of an underground garage in the main courtyard of the Bishop's Seminary at Verona between 2005 and 2010, archaeologists uncovered the remains of 174 individuals (108 non-adults and 66 adults). It is thought that these graves could belong to some of the first inhabitants of the urban area of Verona. The individual presented here (US 2807) is a middle-aged male (40-50 years) in a good state of preservation. His estimated stature is 1756mm (± 32.1mm). This male presents congenital anomalies in the feet and dental agenesis. We believe this to be the only known archaeological case of bilateral post-axial polydactyly with forked (Y) shape, in which both fifth metatarsals are associated with complete bipartition of the left medial cuneiform and partial bipartition of the right one. Polydactyly is fairly common in modern clinical cases but bipartite medial cuneiform is relatively rare; neither of these congenital conditions is well documented archaeologically.

Source: HOMO Journal of Comparative Human Biology - March 6, 2015 Category: Biology Source Type: research