Rare anatomic variation on a 10,000-year-old South American skeleton: the case of Iuzu, Toca dos Coqueiros, Piauí State, Brazil.

Abstract

A skeleton named Iuzu has been unearthed from an exceptional middle Holocene burial in Toca dos Coqueiros site, in Serra da Capivara National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site, Piauí State, Brazil). During a bioarchaeological analysis of its remains, we discovered that Iuzu was suffering from rare vertebral malformations. A double foramen transversaria, the agenesis of a foramen on the atlas and the hypoplasia of the transverse process of the axis have been highlighted. We aimed to deduce the clinical consequences of the malformation on the patient's health. We proceeded to macroscopic observation and radiography of the bones, then we search for other examples of such a pathology in archaeological litterature. The malformation caused vascular insufficiency that may have led to neurological lesions leading to various pains and troubles. The very rare malformations Iuzu presented have not been found on a paleoindian skeleton from South America so far. This case allowed us to examine the conditions of selection of individuals buried in southern Piauí during the Middle Holocene, during which time this rite does not seem to predominate.