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'Favia M et al., 2025: A POSSIBLE NEOLITHIC EXAMPLE OF KLIPPEL-FEIL SYNDROME FROM APULIA, SOUTHERN ITALY: THE EARLIEST KNOWN CASE IN THE ITALIAN BIOARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD?. Anthropologie (Brno) 63, 2: 0-0'. |
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| Abstract | | This study presents the archaeological examination of skeletal remains from the Neolithic funerary site of Cala Colombo in Torre a Mare, Bari (Apulia, Southern Italy), with a focus on a peculiar case of vertebral block possibly related to Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS). The site, first explored in 1973, revealed multiple burials within two rounded spaces, dating from 3100 BC to 2700 BC (Final Neolithic). A significant discovery among the skeletal remains, from a stratigraphic survey showing seven soil layers, was the identification of two fused cervical vertebrae (C4-C5) in one individual, suggesting the presence of KFS, a rare congenital disorder characterized by the congenital fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae during the gestation period. The methodology included conventional X-rays, CT scans, and histological analysis to distinguish between congenital fusion and fusion resulting from other diseases. The findings confirmed the congenital nature of the fusion, with no evidence of trauma, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis, or other differential diagnoses typically associated with vertebral fusion. This case contributes to the scarce archaeological record of KFS, particularly from the Neolithic period in Europe, with prior documented cases in Greece and Portugal. This analysis also introduces histology as a tool in paleopathology, providing deeper insight into the embryological defects leading to vertebral segmentation failure. The present Apulian case could represent, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest documented instance of KFS in Italy, expanding our understanding of the genetic and phenotypic expression of this condition in ancient populations. | | | | Keywords | | Anthropology – Congenital Anomalies – Klippel-Feil Syndrome – Neolithic – Palaeopathology | | |
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