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582
PHILIP P. BETANCOURT ET AL.
Figure 19. Skull 8121. Fractured
right side of the frontal bone (see Fig. 19, left). The jagged edges of the
frontal bone (left) and lytic area in
fracture had partially healed, showing that the woman had survived
the sinuses (right).
the
attack at least for a time. One can see a lytic area in the sinuses (Fig. 19,
right), which suggests an infection that may or may not be related to the
trauma. The woman may have succumbed to the complications of this
infection, because pus in the brain cavity could have caused meningitis
and encephalitis, leading to death.
Another adult female (no. 1032) has two shallow depressions/traumas
on the left side of the frontal bone (Fig. 20). One is elliptical; the shape
implies a blow at close range with an offensive weapon that probably
had a handle. There is limited osteitis (bone reaction) within the circular
depressions.
A third female (no. 1033) has a deep trauma on the midline of the
frontal bone, caused by a pointed object (a sharp stone, perhaps, or an arrow
or possibly a lance hurled from a distance). There is osteitis around
the perforation on the external surface (Fig. 21), but no bone reaction on
the internal surface.
One male (no. 8065) has an incision or cut mark over the midline
of the forehead below the hairline, caused by the tip of a blade, which
probably only perforated the external surface of the bone (Fig. 22). There
is limited osteitis of the surrounding bone tissue and no reaction on the
internal surface. The patient did not die from this wound. The wound may
have been caused by a knife, the tip of a dagger or sword, or possibly even
an arrowhead that caught him obliquely from his left side. Presumably, he
was not wearing protective headgear.
A middle-aged man (no. 8050) has a slight depression over the right
eye with osteitis on the external surface of the bone (Fig. 23) and a depression
over the right sinus area that an X-ray showed to be enlarged. He
evidently survived this incident. Another male (no. 8136) has a trauma on
the frontal bone, illustrated in Figure 24.
121. For a classification of fractures
A spectacular case of frontal trauma, illustrated in Figure 25, is a depres- and use of the terms "depressed" or
sion fracture121 of a male's cranium (no. 6000). A deep circular depressed "depression" fractures, see Ortner 2003.