POSSIBLE EVIDENCE FOR HOMICIDE IN AN EGYPTIAN MUMMY HEAD

In the present paper we describe the macroscopic, radiological and his tological findings for the head of an adult male Egyptian mummy, who p resented with a round to oval defect of the left occipitotemporal bone covered by an almost intact layer of soft tissue and skin. The osseou s defect showed infundibular widening into the cranial cavity, such as is seen in cases of depressed fracture due to a massive external forc e applied by a rather blunt weapon. In addition, the slightly increase d thickness of the skull bone indicates that even higher mechanical fo rce was necessary to punch out the defect than in other skulls. Becaus e we assume that the defect occurred intravitally, the unusual constel lation of this defect provides some evidence that it had occurred duri ng a violent attack, possibly presenting the palaeopathological remnan ts of a case of homicide.