Life and death in Italian prehistory: the case of the sailor from Spina.

In literature, there are few reported cases of spinal injuries from the past and all of them resulted in the dead of the individual or lead to severe consequences for the health. Moreover, from the historical record, it is well known there was no cure of treatments for spinal lesions in the past. Given the paucity of historical documents focused on this topic, anthropological research on spinal injuries can contribute with important information to the medical history of this kind of trauma. Besides, skeletal trauma and occupational markers may be crucial for the reconstruction of habitual behaviors and the identification of causes and timing of death. In the present paper, the authors report the results attained in the anthropological study of an interesting case of vertebral injury discovered in an individual from the Italian Iron Age that highlights this important topic. The aim of this study was to assess the habitual activity pattern and manner of death of an ancient inhabitant of Spina in Padanian Etruria (northeastern Italy). We performed a detailed anthropological analysis of skeletal remains: the unknown individual was identified as a middle-aged man characterized by a particular trauma on the spine. The lesion analysis revealed a peri-mortem injury at the level of L2-L3. Moreover, characteristic markers on the bones indicated intense physical activity carried out during his life. In conclusion, this Etruscan, in all likelihood a sailor according to the occupational markers, did not survive a stabbing attack with a bladed weapon.