TY  - JOUR
A1  - ,  
T1  - Unusual occipital condyles and craniovertebral anomalies of skulls buried in the Late Antiquity period (1st century BC â?? 3rd century AD) in Armenia
JO  - Eur. J. Anat.
SN  - 1136-4890
Y1  - 2011
VL  - 15
SP  - 162
EP  - 175
UR  - http://www.eurjanat.com/web/paper.php?id=110041ak
KW  - Foramen magnum
KW  - Occipitalcondyle
KW  - Anatomical variations
KW  - Terminale ossiculum
KW  - Assimilation of the atlas
N2  - The aim of the present study is to analyze the unusual occipital condyles and craniovertebral anomalies of skulls from the Late Antiquity period (1st century BC â?? 3rd century AD) in Armenia to acquire such morphometric data regarding the occipital condyle and classify it according to its shape and size. The results of this study reveal the variability of occipital condyle parameters, including shape, length and width. The shape of the occipital condyles was classified in eight types. The occipital condyles and the foramen magnum were affected by marginal osteophytosis. Most foramina magna were oval- and diamond-shaped. The lateral cervical spine in two individuals from the Black Fortress shows an ovoid terminale ossiculum. The skeleton of a young adult woman, whose skull exhibited a remarkable degree of assimilation of the atlas, was found during an archaeological exploration in Beniamin. It is likely that both genetic and environmental factors would have contributed to the etiology of the skeletal defects. Environmental factors, in particular nutritional deficiency and disease, may trigger or enhance the genetic predisposition for developmental defects. The findings of this research reveal a documented list of pathologies that ailed the people in the Late Antiquity period in their daily lives.
ER  -