A probable case of "lumpy jaw" in early medieval (11th - 12th c.) cattle from a stronghold in Kruszwica, Poland.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to try to determine the probable cause of the disease from which the study animal suffered. MATERIALS: The skeletal material included a caudal fragment of a cattle mandible. The specimen, exhibiting chronic disease was separated from approximately 10,000 early medieval cattle remains discovered during excavations of the former Kruszwica stronghold. METHODS: The bone was underwent macroscopic, radiological and histopathological examination. RESULTS: Location, macroscopic, microscopic and X-ray images of the lesions within the examined mandible indicate it could have been caused by the actinomycosis. CONCLUSIONS: In the face of infection, no effective therapies were undertaken in the Middle Ages. SIGNIFICANCE: Descriptions of lumpy jaw in the paleopathological literature are rare. This disease, due to its background and course, eliminated animals from breeding for centuries until the era of antibiotics. The case described in our paper is in an advanced stage, but its adult age suggests that efforts were possibly made to keep the cow alive as long as possible, indicating the significant economic importance of the animal. LIMITATIONS: This analysis is limited by the absence of other anatomical elements of the affected animal, which impacts the interpretation of the palaeopathological bone. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: It is recommended that similar studies are conducted on better preserved and more numerous cattle assemblages.

Pathological Changes in Early Medieval Horses from Different Archaeological Sites in Poland.

The work is the first comprehensive analysis of equine pathological changes from the Polish territory. The research material was collected from 20 archaeological sites, mainly early medieval settlements, such as strongholds, settlements, towns and horse graves. In the material examined, 186 cases of lesions were found. Of these, 26.9% were lesions of the spine, 39.8% lesions of the limb skeleton and 31.7% lesions of the head including dental pathologies. Most of the lesions in the limbs involved their distal segments. The vast majority of pathological cases can be linked to animal use. It was found that horses in which pathological lesions were observed were used under cover. In one case, the observed cranial trauma was the cause of death associated with injury to the nasal auricles and large vessels and consequent blood loss and possible shock. It was found that, in some of the cases, the horses started to be used early which affected their organs of motion and spine.

Battle wound as a probable cause of the death of an early medieval horse in Ostrów Lednicki, Poland.

OBJECTIVE: In this paper we interpret a pathology observed in an early medieval horse skull discovered near the abutment of the eastern Gniezno bridge in Ostrów Lednicki in Poland. We consider the possible cause of the observed damage in the context of the armed invasion of the Czech prince Brzetyslaw and a battle of Ostrów Lednicki. MATERIALS: A skull of a 10-year-old male horse dated to the 11th century. METHODS: The skull was examined macroscopically and through computed tomography. Metric analysis was performed using digital callipers and the shoulder height was calculated. RESULTS: A penetrating lesion through the left frontal and nasal bones was observed. The floor and roof of the left conchofrontal sinus were destroyed along with the dorsal ethmoturbinates of the ethmoid labyrinth. CONCLUSIONS: The observed damage was most likely a result of trauma, which caused a fatal haemorrhage rather than sudden death. Considering the historical context and the area where the skull was discovered, it could be a battle wound. SIGNIFICANCE: This case is a rare example of an unhealed peri-mortem lesion in an animal skeleton that can be associated with an immediate cause of death. LIMITATIONS: The lack of a complete skeleton does not allow a complete analysis of horse's condition and circumstances associated with its death. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Identification of the tool or weapon that was used to deliver the blow.