Brief communication: An early case of hydrocephalus: The Middle Paleolithic Qafzeh 12 child (Israel)

Abstract

Remains of 15 hominids were recovered within a Mousterian archaeological context in the cave of Qafzeh, Israel. Dated to ca. 95 kyr BP, this skeletal material has been crucial for understanding biological, chronological, and cultural aspects of anatomically modern ancient Homo sapiens. The high proportion of children (N = 8) in Qafzeh Cave is unique among Middle Palaeolithic sites and encourages the search for skeletal evidence of disease and trauma. We report on the case of one child, Qafzeh 12, ca. 3 years old (according to modern human reference standards), who manifests some outstanding skeletal abnormalities that indicate hydrocephalus.