Morphometry of auditory ossicles in medieval human remains from Central Europe

Krenz‐Niedbała, Marta; Łukasik, Sylwia; Macudziński, Jakub; Chowański, Szymon

doi:10.1002/ar.24842

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…However, they have been found in their anatomical location, or very close, even after millions of years, as has been recorded in palaeontological recoveries [11,15,23]. Contrastingly, one or all auditory ossicles can be missing in more recent skeletons from archaeological sites [24,25] or current forensic cases observed by the authors. Since the quality of the petrous bone and the auditory ossicles is one of the hardest and most dense in the human skeleton [11,17,26], they have been documented to be relatively resistant to fire [27][28][29][30][31] and, in favourable circumstances, can fossilize and survive for millions of years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles -Detected Post-mortem by CT Scan- as a Taphonomic Indicator

Guareschi,

Poggesi,

Palmesino

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Three tiny bones compose the human ossicular chain: malleus, incus and stapes. Also known as auditory ossicles, they are united by joints in the middle ear cavity of the petrous part of the temporal bone. Completely developed 2 years after birth, the ossicular chain is involved in the physiological process of hearing, by which sound waves from the environment are converted into electrochemical impulses. In the last 500 years, most studies have focussed on the morphogenesis, morphological variability and clinical pathology of the ossicular chain, whilst only a few studies have added relevant knowledge to anthropology and forensic science. The auditory ossicles and the enclosing petrous bone are some of the hardest in the human skeleton. This reflects in a relative resistance to fire. In the post mortem period and in favourable circumstances, the auditory ossicles can fossilize and survive for millions of years. Post mortem loss in skeletal or decomposed remains can be ascribed to their destruction or physical displacement, by either macro-micro-faunal action and/or any other natural or artificial disturbance. Physical displacement is closely connected to the depositional environment of the skeletal remains, such as burial, entombment (sarcophagus, coffin, vault…), submersion or exposure to natural elements. Auditory ossicles can be recovered in situ, or very close to their anatomical location, when the skeletal material has been involved in an archaeological excavation. In the case of accessible or disturbed remains, scavengers may remove the tiny ossicles, and/or they can slip out of the middle ear cavity following skull movements. Entombment offers an effective protection against the displacement of the auditory ossicles, whereas aquatic submersion and aquatic movement almost invariably displace them. The preservation of the human auditory ossicles should be critically considered in the comprehensive context of any forensic investigation on human remains, since it can assist the reconstruction of their taphonomic history. Taphonomic histories of remains can add crucial information to forensic investigations (e.g., the Post Mortem Interval, PMI). The aim of this study, limited by scarce relevant literature, is to discuss the potential role of the ossicular chain, detected by post mortem imaging techniques, as a taphonomical indicator in decomposing and/or skeletonized bodies.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles -Detected Post-mortem by CT Scan- as a Taphonomic Indicator

Guareschi,

Poggesi,

Palmesino

et al. 2023

Preprint

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show abstract

“…However, they have been found in their anatomical location, or very close, even after millions of years, as has been recorded in paleontological recoveries [11,15,23]. Contrastingly, one or all auditory ossicles can be missing in more recent skeletons from archaeological sites [24,25] or current forensic cases observed by the authors. Since the quality of the petrous bone and the auditory ossicles is one of the hardest and most dense in the human skeleton [11,17,26], they have been documented to be relatively resistant to fire [27][28][29][30][31] and, in favorable circumstances, can fossilize and survive for millions of years.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Once extricated from a mixture of sand and glue, the ossicle showed only slight damage. The role of sand and soil occluding the external acoustic meatus (ear canal) and preventing the loss of the auditory ossicles is known in archaeology [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only four temporal bones retained a complete ossicular chain. Two interesting standpoints are outlined in the study; firstly, the statement "when necessary, soil, small stones and vegetable material were removed carefully from the external auditory canal with the use of fine dental instruments" highlights the condition of most buried bodies: that is with physiological bone cavities obstructed by foreign material [also see [25,43]; secondly, in examining previous research [44], it is apparent that the presence of the ossicular chain in buried bodies was defined as "not related to the type of burial, conditions surrounding it, or the soil". Finally, the conclusion that the "precision in methods of recovering the skeletons is more likely to influence ossicle recovery" [35] appears to support the hypothesis that the presence of the auditory ossicles in the middle ear cavity of any skeletonized human skull relates to careful excavation and recovery, with the aim of avoiding displacement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles—Detected Postmortem by CT Scan—As a Taphonomic Indicator

Guareschi,

Poggesi,

Palmesino

et al. 2023

Forensic Sciences

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Introduction: Three tiny bones compose the human ossicular chain: malleus, incus and stapes. Also known as auditory ossicles, they are united by joints in the middle ear cavity of the petrous part of the temporal bone. Completely developed two years after birth, the ossicular chain is involved in the physiological process of hearing, by which sound waves from the environment are converted into electrochemical impulses. In the last 500 years, most studies have focused on the morphogenesis, morphological variability and clinical pathology of the ossicular chain, whilst only a few studies have added relevant knowledge to anthropology and forensic science. The auditory ossicles and the enclosing petrous bone are some of the hardest in the human skeleton. This is reflected in a relative resistance to fire and in the possibility of preservation and fossilization in millions of years. Materials and Methods: The literature and four present-day forensic cases were included in studying the postmortem loss of the auditory ossicles in skeletal or decomposing remains. Results indicate that it can be ascribed to their destruction or physical displacement, by either macro-micro-faunal action and/or any other natural or artificial disturbance. Discussion: Physical displacement is closely connected to the depositional environment of the skeletal remains, such as burial, entombment (sarcophagus, coffin, vault…), submersion or exposure to natural elements. Auditory ossicles can be recovered in situ, or very close to their anatomical location, when the skeletal material has been involved in an archaeological excavation. In the case of accessible or disturbed remains, scavengers may remove the tiny ossicles and/or they can slip out of the middle ear cavity following skull movements. Entombment offers effective protection against the displacement of the auditory ossicles, whereas aquatic submersion and aquatic movement almost invariably displace them. Conclusion: the preservation of the human auditory ossicles should be critically considered in the comprehensive context of any forensic investigation on human remains since it can assist the reconstruction of their taphonomic history. Taphonomic histories of remains can add crucial information to forensic investigations (e.g., the Post Mortem Interval, PMI). The aim of this study, limited by scarce relevant literature, is to discuss the potential role of the ossicular chain, detected by postmortem imaging techniques, as a taphonomical indicator in decomposing and/or skeletonized bodies.

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“…These have been used to deduce the severity of otitis media in archeological contexts, including among medieval Polish sites for which Krenz‐Niedbała and Łukasik (2017) developed a standardized grading system. More recently, Krenz‐Niedbala et al (2022, this volume) attempted to establish normal ranges of morphological variation in the middle ear ossicular chain in two modern human populations. This is important as establishing a normal baseline is critical for deducing the presence of disease or abnormal ossicular anatomy.…”

Section: Development and Disease Among Homo Sapiensmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nasopharynx as a window to half a billion years of evolutionary change to the upper respiratory tract

Pagano

Márquez

2022

The Anatomical Record

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The nasopharynx is a region at the nexus of several vital physiological systems, including the nasal cavity, oral cavity, braincase, middle ear, and cervical vertebrae. It has undergone pronounced morphological change over the course of tetrapod, mammalian, and human evolution. However, despite its place in evolutionary history, the nasopharynx has received relatively little attention. This special issue focuses on “the evolution, development, and functional morphology of the nasopharynx and its boundaries.” Topics covered here include evolutionary developmental biology (or evo–devo), nasopharyngeal adaptions in bats, the importance of the nasopharynx and adjacent structures over the course of human evolution, normal development, middle ear morphology, clinical importance, and the study of the nasopharynx throughout history. Contributions to this special issue range among reviews and syntheses, descriptive analyses, phylogenetic analysis, traditional morphometrics, three‐dimensional geometric morphometrics, and computational fluid dynamics. Here, we discuss the central importance of the nasopharynx as can be seen through vertebrate paleontology and comparative morphology. It is via the composite evolutionary history of the nasopharyngeal boundaries that our origins may be better understood, starting with the derivation of the choanae from the median olfactory pit of jawless fish nearly half a billion years ago to the basicranial flexion and facial reduction that distinguish Homo sapiens from all other living mammals. Indeed, the nasopharynx must be acknowledged for its importance in the processes of encephalization and acquisition of speech that have become the hallmark of our species.

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Morphometry of auditory ossicles in medieval human remains from Central Europe

Cited by 4 publications

References 38 publications

The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles -Detected Post-mortem by CT Scan- as a Taphonomic Indicator

The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles -Detected Post-mortem by CT Scan- as a Taphonomic Indicator

The Presence of the Human Auditory Ossicles—Detected Postmortem by CT Scan—As a Taphonomic Indicator

The nasopharynx as a window to half a billion years of evolutionary change to the upper respiratory tract

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