Hip luxation and its manifestations on a pelvis of a man from the Early Bronze Age from Ludanice-Mýtna Nová Ves

Abstract

The paper presents an exceptional skeletal material bearing an implicit information on diseases and living conditions of the Early Bronze Age society in the territory of present-day Slovakia. Archaeological research in Ludanice-Mýtna Nová Ves, performed by the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Nitra under the supervision of Jozef Bátora, revealed the cemetery that had been used by two consecutive Early Bronze Age populations of the Nitra and the Únětice cultures (2200 – 1900 cal. BC). A total of 606 graves were examined. Skeletal remains buried in Grave 501 were different from others: unusual bone changes were observed in the skeleton, especially as regards the bony socket for the femoral head of the dislocated left femur. The socket was located at the posterior side of the ilium, suggesting development of neo-acetabulum. The finding represents the first paleopathological case of its kind from prehistoric Slovakia, its uniqueness lying in providing new information about health status, living conditions, as well as interpersonal relationships in Early Bronze Age populations.