Late Pleistocene foot infection in Dama mesopotamica from Tabun B (Mount Carmel, Israel).

ABSTRACT

Tabun is one of the most important Palaeolithic sites in the near East, with levels dating from the Lower through to the Upper Palaeolithic. The faunal collection from Tabun Cave (Israel) was recovered by Dorothy Garrod during archaeological excavations carried out during the 1920-30s in Mount Carmel. Since then this collection has been housed at The Natural History Museum, London. In this brief communication, a frequently occurring pathology in the phalanges of fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) from Level B is reported. The pathology consists of bone resorption on the cortex of the axial surface of the proximal phalanges, most likely as a result of a localized osteitis produced by an infection, initially on the hoof, and later on the phalanges and even metapodials. These pathologies were probably caused by bacterial infection, possibly linked to environmental and climatic conditions at the site.