Patterns of disappearance of the inner ear ossicular chain as potential Post-Mortem Interval estimation indicator

The human ossicular chain is composed of 3 tiny bones: malleus, incus and stapes. They are located inside the middle ear cavity, within the temporal bone, and united by joints. The aim of this pilot study was to analyse the presence, complete or partial, or the absence of the ossicular chain in palaeontological, archaeological and modern skeletal remains with different post mortem intervals and taphonomy, as inhumation, entombment, submersion and exposure.