An Assessment of the Temporal Bone Lesions of the Broken Hill Cranium

Abstract

We have re-examined the temporal bone of the Broken Hill (Kabwe, Zambia) skull using medical endoscopes and radiographic images and have found an additional, hitherto unsuspected, lesion in the roof of the petrous temporal bone. We considered the anatomy and pneumatization of the temporal bone in comparison with that of modern humans, the nature and form of the lesions found, and their relationship with the middle ear cleft, concluding that there is little evidence to support the premise that the Broken Hill individual suffered from middle ear suppuration. The isolated lesion of the squamous temporal bone is thus in no way related to the other lesions. The aetiology of the lesion must therefore be considered independently and we propose, speculatively, a differential diagnosis for this lesion such as an intra-diploic dermoid or eosinophilic granuloma. The other lesions of the temporal bone are most probably due to trauma. The lack of evidence of healing and the good preservation of the viscero-cranium suggest that this trauma occurred long after death.