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Fatal wounds in a Late Neolithic double inhumation—A probable case of meningitis following trauma
Author(s) -
Schutkowski H.,
Schultz M.,
Holzgraefe M.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of osteoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1099-1212
pISSN - 1047-482X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199603)6:2<179::aid-oa253>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - medicine , surgery , meningitis , spinal cord , paraplegia , supine position , psychiatry
Among a group of seven skeletons from the southern part of Lower Saxony, dating to the Single Grave Culture (ca. 2500 BC ), was a double inhumation, which showed an unusual burial position for one of the individuals interred. Deviating from the typical squatted position, this male was supine. Having been badly injured by an arrow shot into the back, he suffered from post‐traumatic paraplegia and, most probably died from bacterial meningitis caused by the flint tip that penetrated the spinal cord. This infection was also responsible for the burial position, clearly pointing to an opisthotonus, which is indicative of the final stage of bacterial meningitis. The other individual, also male, had an arrow wound and died from the complications of a severe wound to the intestines.