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Calcaneus fractures are scarcely reported in archaeological assemblages worldwide. The main goal of this paper is to present a study case related to a calcaneus fracture and a set of bone lesions recorded in an adult individual dated in the Middle Holocene (ca. 6000-3000 years BP). This individual was part of a hunter-gatherer society that inhabited the eastern Pampa-Patagonian transition (lower basin of Colorado river, Argentina). The individual was recovered at Tres Bonetes 1 site (TB1-E1). The causes of the injury and the stress it could have had generated in the individual are discussed. Macroscopic analysis and radiographic images were carried out and several bone alterations were detected (27.1%; 19/70). The lesions were located in the right ankle joint linked to an intra-articular calcaneus fracture. The main cause may have been a fall from height. The remodeled new bone formation indicates that the individual survived the stress event, but several sectors of the skeleton (e.g., spine, shoulders) were affected. The original morphological structure of the calcaneus was not restored and probably caused joint instability that affected the biomechanical behavior of the ankle. The individual must have suffered acute and severe pain and need help, care and assistance from other people., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Osteomyelitis was frequent in prehistoric times, although its paleopathological recognition and analysis in skeletal remains is typically incomplete. Contrasting with osteomyelitis in children, in adults it is usually a subacute or chronic infection that develops secondary to an open injury. The aim of this paper is to present a case of osteomyelitis in an adult female skeleton, from a hunter-gatherer population that inhabited the eastern Pampa-Patagonian transition (Argentina) during Final Late Holocene (ca. 250 years BP). Macroscopic studies as well as biplanar radiographs and CT scans were used for diagnosis. Lamellar bone formations on the diaphysis and in the interior of the marrow cavity were recorded. Also, a lytic lesion was identified in CT images. The diagnostic procedures and the probable causes that could generate the lesions in the long bones of the lower limb are discussed. The lesions are consistent with osteomyelitis secondary to a contiguous focus of infection, possibly linked to the abscess in the maxillary bone., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Research on animal paleopathology has significantly grown in the field of zooarchaeology during the last years. Usually bone lesions have been associated to specific activities carried out by animals. However, the etiology and prevalence of many bone abnormalities are still uncertain due to the scarcity of studies in modern reference collections. The aim of this study is to determine the postcranial skeletal lesions that characterize a population of wild camelids and to differentiate bone lesions related to human management of camelids. For this purpose, we analyze the health status of a modern collection of guanaco by recording a series of indicators and its manifestation in different anatomical units. The osteological sample comprises 54 guanacos from Cinco Chañares, San Antonio department, Rio Negro province, Argentina. The frequency of lesions by anatomical unit, sex, and age were studied in order to generate parameters for comparison with other samples of contemporary camelids and with zooarchaeological record. The analyzed sample is characterized by infectious, traumatic, degenerative and congenital abnormalities in low prevalence. The most common pathologies were degenerative origin. These were significantly more frequent among senile adults, and were differentiated of the ones registered among domestic camelids., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)