Papers by Helene COQUEUGNIOT
International Journal of Paleopathology
This paper presents the inner ear modifications in Dares -Soltane II H5, an Aterian fossil possib... more This paper presents the inner ear modifications in Dares -Soltane II H5, an Aterian fossil possibly dated to 100 ka. Material: The remains consist of a large portion of the cranium including the face, the left frontal and temporal bones, part of the left parietal bone and greater wing of the sphenoid. Methods: The bony labyrinth anatomy was investigated on existing micro-CT data acquired by the MPI-EVA. Results: The observation of micro-CT sections revealed a partial filling of the semi-circular canals that raises question about its origin. A careful examination of the micro-CT sections shows that the elements present in the semicircular canals were denser than the sediments observed in other regions and cavities of the temporal bone. Conclusions: The current evidence suggests a pathological origin of this condition with partial ossification of the membranous labyrinth. The differential diagnosis indicates a case of labyrinthitis ossificans in its early stages. Significance: This pathological condition can be responsible for permanent hearing loss and is associated with dizziness and vertigo. Along with the Singa skull, Dares -Soltane II H5 represents one of the oldest known cases of labyrinthitis ossificans. Limitations: The early stage of disease and the absence of the right temporal bone limit conclusions about the degree of disability of the individual and their dependence on the rest of the group. Suggestions for further research: To carry out a paleopathological study of all the fossils from Dares -Soltane II.
Bulletins et mémoires de la société d'anthropologie de Paris
HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), May 1, 2021
The area around Tours offers a unique chance to document examples of medieval surgery. Two sites ... more The area around Tours offers a unique chance to document examples of medieval surgery. Two sites revealed cases of surgical procedures: six trepanations were discovered at St Cosme priory. Another trepanation and one amputation were identified at St Lazare leprosarium. According to medieval texts, trepanation was used for cleaning cranial wounds. If the osseous examples from this study show a good concordance with those texts regarding the modus operandi, the use of 3D imaging tends to favor the treatment of neurological conditions as the main therapeutic motivation. Regarding the amputation, the archaeological context suggests use of this procedure for the treatment of a perforating ulcer of the foot. Isotopic data support the idea that the operation was not conducted in situ.
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021
Dans le domaine de l’anthropologie biologique, l’imagerie medicale et la 3D ont permis le develop... more Dans le domaine de l’anthropologie biologique, l’imagerie medicale et la 3D ont permis le developpement de nouvelles analyses. Or, jusqu’a recemment, ces nouvelles technologies numeriques n’avaient pas reellement atteint le domaine de la paleopathologie, ou les resultats reposent essentiellement sur des lectures macroscopiques de pieces pathologiques, de radiographies ou de scanner CT. Cet article montre, au travers de 2 exemples (un crâne et une articulation sacro-iliaque), comment les techniques 3D permettent des explorations morphologiques tridimensionnelles des structures externes et internes des pieces paleopathologiques. Les methodes tridimensionnelles ameliorent les performances du diagnostic et apportent des resultats supplementaires que ne peuvent fournir les methodes 2D. Ces resultats montrent les interets multiples de l’imagerie medicale et de la 3D au plan diagnostique, didactique et de diffusion-valorisation dans l’etude des pathologies, declinees au present aussi bien ...
Communications orales et affichées de la 1836ème Journée de la Société d'Anthropologie de Par... more Communications orales et affichées de la 1836ème Journée de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris parues dans Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris , 23 S1-S4
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2021
The bony labyrinth has received growing attention in the field of human evolution as it is a usef... more The bony labyrinth has received growing attention in the field of human evolution as it is a useful phylogenetic indicator in hominins, and is particularly useful for distinguishing anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals. The partial adult skeleton of Qafzeh 25 dated to 92 ± 5 ka B.P. suffers from serious post-mortem taphonomic damage that has limited its anatomical description and metrical analysis. However, the two petrosal bones are preserved and the bony labyrinths are not affected by post-mortem deformations. In this study, the methodology developed by Spoor (1993) is used to analyze and compare the morphometric data from Qafzeh 25 semi-circular canals and cochlea to that of other fossils from the site and more generally to the published hominin sample (Middle and Late Pleistocene hominins). While this analysis reveals that the Qafzeh 25 bony labyrinth resembles that other Qafzeh individuals, it extends the range of variation within the sample for some variables.
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2021
To identify the pathology causing the severe facial dysmorphia of a medieval individual from the ... more To identify the pathology causing the severe facial dysmorphia of a medieval individual from the site of Rigny (Indre-et-Loire, France) and to evaluate its functional repercussions on the subject's hearing and social life. Materials One individual from Rigny for the osteological study, 69 individuals from the region for the Ct-Scan study and 48 individuals from the site for the isotopic analysis. Methods Macroscopic analysis was performed using standard osteological methods. Consequences of pathology on hearing were assessed by CT-scan. Dietary behaviour was analysed by stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bone collagen. Results The individual is a woman who was over 50 years of age at the time of her death with a severe form of Treacher-Collins syndrome that resulted in deafness. No osteological signs of maltreatment were observed and there is no evidence that this individual's diet was different from that of the rest of the community. Conclusions All information testifies to the full integration of this individual into the village population. Significance This study is the first archaeological description of Treacher Collins syndrome. It shows the ability of the paleopathological approach to help identify the attitudes of societies for which written sources are most often lacking. Limitations In the absence of palaeogenomic analysis it is not possible to identify the origin of this case. Suggestions for further research Increase the paleopathological semiology by CT-scan in order to specify the consequences of pathologies and integrate isotopic analyses to enrich discussion about perceptions of disease.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2020
Three-dimensional (3D) imaging is now extensively used for studying ancient human and animal bone... more Three-dimensional (3D) imaging is now extensively used for studying ancient human and animal bones. This method has been consensually adopted by palaeoanthropologists, but its interest in palaeopathology has been challenged. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the contribution of 3D reconstructions to retrospective diagnosis in palaeopathology. We selected six palaeopathological cases among our research corpus representing three nosographic categories (trauma, infection and neoplasia) from various periods ranging from the Middle Palaeolithic to the beginning of the Modern Era. For each case, we compared the diagnostic value of plain X-ray, computed tomography (CT) slices, and 3D reconstructions. The latter were performed using TIVMI program, a free software for research use developed by one of us. Reconstructions are obtained by surface extraction that follows a segmentation process. We showed that this 3D method allowed reconstructing/quantifying pathological processes on ancient bones, usefully supplementing conventional radiological analyses and clearly bringing an added value to retrospective diagnosis in palaeopathology.
Paléorient, 2017
The site of Tell Mureybet in Syria yielded several human remains, partly dated from the Pre-Potte... more The site of Tell Mureybet in Syria yielded several human remains, partly dated from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (8300-8200 BC), including a skeleton from an incomplete primary burial (grave 3) excavated in 1974. The study of the bones helps us to reconstruct the plausible cause of death, a thoraco-abdominal fatal wound caused by an arrow shot in the chest. This is clearly evidenced by the presence of a flint arrowhead embedded in the 10th thoracic vertebra. The X-rays, CT-scan and 3D reconstruction of the vertebra and the arrowhead allow two hypotheses regarding this death : a hunting accident or a case of interpersonal violence.
Paléorient, 2017
Au sein de l’échantillon d’individus de Qafzeh (Basse Galilée), datés du Paléolithique moyen, Qaf... more Au sein de l’échantillon d’individus de Qafzeh (Basse Galilée), datés du Paléolithique moyen, Qafzeh 25 est représenté par des composants du squelette ayant été sérieusement altérés pendant la fossilisation, et tout particulièrement le bloc crânio-facial et la mandibule compressés bilatéralement. Grâce aux avancées méthodologiques de l’imagerie 3D, nous proposons dans cette étude une reconstitution virtuelle de la mandibule à partir de CT-scans du fossile original. Cette restauration virtuelle réalisée à l’aide du logiciel TIVMI permet de mener une première analyse morphométrique comparative avec les autres mandibules connues au Levant méditerranéen pour le Paléolithique et l’Épipaléolithique.
Paléorient, 2017
La tuberculose a été considérée, pendant longtemps, comme une zoonose transmise à l’homme par des... more La tuberculose a été considérée, pendant longtemps, comme une zoonose transmise à l’homme par des bovins, notamment lors du processus de domestication de l’aurochs au Néolithique. Des travaux de phylogénie moléculaire récents ont remis en question ce dogme, montrant que le complexe Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTBC) a existé comme pathogène humain depuis environ trois millions d’années. Cependant, des études récentes basées sur deux horloges moléculaires différentes ont proposé que la tuberculose humaine date de moins de 6 000 ans. Afin d’apporter de nouvelles données à ce débat, nous avons étudié les marqueurs paléopathologiques de la tuberculose sur des restes humains découverts dans le berceau proche-oriental de la Néolithisation, sur les sites de Dja’de el-Mughara (9310-8290 cal. BC) dans la moyenne Vallée de l’Euphrate (Syrie du Nord) et de Tell Aswad (8200-7500 cal. BC) au Levant central (Syrie du Sud). Ces deux sites ont livré chacun les restes squelettiques de plus d’une cent...
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2018
Horse riding is a human activity that has particularly interested bioanthropologists and paleopat... more Horse riding is a human activity that has particularly interested bioanthropologists and paleopathologists working on the reconstruction of activities from skeletal changes in ancient populations. However, various sample and methodological limitations, such as the absence of direct evidence connecting the individuals and the activity, result in a lack of confidence regarding what changes should be included in the so-called horse riding syndrome. Focusing on the ovalization of the acetabulum, regularly mentioned in literature, we analyzed comparative samples of presumed riders and non-riders to evaluate its reliability for the identification of horse riding. We relied on a Hungarian Conquest period collection (10th century CE), including several individuals associated with horse riding equipment or horse bones in the graves. Direct and easily repeatable measurements were used to calculate an index of ovalization of the acetabulum (IOA). The index values were compared according to the presence or absence of archaeological deposit. An extra-group of presumed non-riders from the documented Luís Lopes Skeletal Collection (Lisbon) was used for comparison. Early Hungarians buried with horse-related grave goods exhibited a higher overall IOA compared with the ones without and those known not to ride (p = 0.049 in the latter case, with left and right values combined). Our results suggest that the ovalization of the acetabulum may indeed be a promising indicator to be included in a set of markers for horse riding. The analysis of further different types of pathological and nonpathological skeletal changes (e.g., joint and entheseal changes) will contribute to a more reliable identification of horse riders in anthropological collections.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 7, 2016
Neandertal and modern human adults differ in skeletal features of the cranium and postcranium, an... more Neandertal and modern human adults differ in skeletal features of the cranium and postcranium, and it is clear that many of the cranial differences-although not all of them-are already present at the time of birth. We know less, however, about the developmental origins of the postcranial differences. Here, we address this deficiency with morphometric analyses of the postcrania of the two most complete Neandertal neonates-Mezmaiskaya 1 (from Russia) and Le Moustier 2 (from France)-and a recent human sample. We find that neonatal Neandertals already appear to possess the wide body, long pubis, and robust long bones of adult Neandertals. Taken together, current evidence indicates that skeletal differences between Neandertals and modern humans are largely established by the time of birth.
Acta Biologica Szegediensis
Entheseal changes (EC), alterations at insertion sites on the bones, may be related to mechanical... more Entheseal changes (EC), alterations at insertion sites on the bones, may be related to mechanical stress among other causes, and are thus used for decades to reconstruct the activities of human past populations. They can be characterised by focal changes in robusticity and variable pattern of osteolysis and osteoformation observable on dry bone. This preliminary study aims to analyse the microstructural characteristics of the underlying bone to clarify the nature of the changes in bone microarchitecture reflecting the macroscopic changes identifiable on the surface of the enthesis. We studied the right radii of two Saharian adult individuals, dating from Neolithic (Hassi-el-Abiod, Mali, 7 000 years BP). One has a morphologically normal bicipital tuberosity while the second one shows EC. Micro-computed tomodensitometric acquisitions and 3D reconstructions were performed to characterise cancellous and cortical bone microarchitecture of these two entheses. 3D imaging appears relevant for studying microstructure of EC among past populations. Our methodology reveals at this preliminary step clear differences of canal network organisation of cortical bone between the two studied entheses. This work comes preliminary to a broader study on a historically and archaeologically documented population of Hungarian horse archers of the Honfoglalás or Conquest period (X th century).
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Papers by Helene COQUEUGNIOT