13 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Interesting Social Dimensions of Rare Diseases Seen in the Bronze Age

When it comes to Rare Diseases, what almost all of us think of is that this disease has affected very few people. Probably, this disease is one of the diseases that affects 1 to 5 people in 10,000. Rare diseases are nowadays a special field in medical-pharmaceutical research and treatment.

Is it possible to diagnose these rare diseases as ancient rare diseases only from human skeletons?

Working as a physical anthropologist at the Kiel University Clinical Molecular Biology Institute, Dr. Katharina Fuchs explored this question.

Using the medical history of male individuals from the North Caucasus Bronze Age (approximately 2200 to 1650 BC), she came to the conclusion that the standards of rare diseases used today cannot simply be transferred to the past. A recent study published in the International Journal of Paleopathology shows that not only the diagnosis of rare diseases but also the calculation of incidence and prevalence (i.e. incidence) are challenging for researchers. The level of personal barriers and social integration and support is also difficult to rebuild.

There are many conclusions that anthropologist K. Fuchs can draw from the skeleton of a Caucasian man she studied in her research: From his youth, he suffered from rare hip disease, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, and he had a limp gait due to that inward twisted leg. In addition, as an adult, he suffered severe skull and thigh fractures. In addition, the signs of wear on his teeth indicate that he was using them as tools during the working processes, as was customary. Also, from the objects with which he was buried, it can be concluded that he did not occupy a particularly high social position.

Excavated grave of male skeleton found in the foothills of the North Caucasus.
Excavated grave of male skeleton found in the foothills of the North Caucasus. Photo: B. Atabiev, Institut für die Archäologie des Kaukasus, Naltschik

“Taken together, the results show that this man was important to society. The fractures he suffered required a high level of care. He probably survived his injuries because his fellow human beings cared for him. This gives us an idea of ​​how the people in the North Caucasus were treated 4,000 years ago and how they treated someone who was physically limited for most of their life. ”Fuchs explains. Such considerations go beyond the topic of ancient rare diseases but illustrate the social dimension of their research.

Right and left femoral bones of a male individual from the North Caucasus.
Right and left femoral bones of a male individual from the North Caucasus. Bones exhibit the pathological changes studied in the study. Photo: Katharina Fuchs, Institut für Klinische Molekularbiologie

Another result of the research is that the “rare” criteria related to ancient rare diseases cannot be defined by strict thresholds. The fact that a disease is rare today does not necessarily mean that it was rare in the past. Depending on the cause of the disease, the cause, occurrence, disappearance and most interestingly, the transition from a rare disease to a common disease is all affected by social and human ecological dynamics. This is a discovery of modern medicine, which identifies lifestyle and external influences as important components.

Therefore, research on rare diseases in the past is also related to our understanding of current diseases. One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Julia Gresky from the German Archaeological Institute, stresses: “Since its foundation in 2019, the research of the “Ancient Rare Diseases’ workgroup also has the task to reach people who are affected today. We hope to contribute to public awareness by pointing out that humankind has always been confronted with rare diseases—but also that being affected does not have to mean social isolation.”

Kiel Üniversitesi

Related Articles

Archaeologists discovered how wine was cooled in Roman legions on the Danube

15 September 2023

15 September 2023

Lead archaeologist Piotr Dyczek, a professor at the Center for Research on Antiquities of Southeastern Europe at the University of...

Thousand-year-old bone skate discovered in Czech Republic

20 March 2024

20 March 2024

Archaeologists from the central Moravian city of Přerov, Czech Republic have announced a unique discovery. While carrying out excavations in...

Astonishing Find in the Czech Republic: Hikers Discover a 3.7 Kilogram Serbian/Bosnian Gold Treasure

29 April 2025

29 April 2025

A leisurely hike on the slopes of Zvičina Hill in the Czech Republic turned into an extraordinary discovery for two...

New research, prove that Romans were breeding small bulldogs

11 June 2023

11 June 2023

Researchers have proven that breeding small brachycephalic (shorter-nosed) dogs took place already in ancient Rome. Research on a 2,000 years...

Well-preserved 2,000-year-old Chime Bells (Bianzhong) discovered in China

3 September 2023

3 September 2023

A total of 24 well-preserved Chinese bianzhong (chime bells) in two sets from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC)...

More than 56400 Cultural Goods Seized in Operation Pandora V

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

Operation Pandora V, aimed at preventing the illegal trade of cultural goods, has been one of the most successful operations...

45,000 years ago, Neanderthals in the Swabian Jura used complex tool-making techniques

13 September 2021

13 September 2021

Findings that will change our perception of Neanderthals’ sophistication A team from the University of Tübingen have proved that Middle...

Whispers of Time: Exploring the Enigmatic Bronze Age Towers of Oman

24 February 2025

24 February 2025

The ancient Bronze Age towers scattered across Oman, dating back nearly 5,000 years, have long been a subject of curiosity...

2,700-year-old bronze figurine found in Germany’s Tollence River: goddess or weight?

9 April 2022

9 April 2022

A Bronze Age female figurine discovered in the Tollense River in northern Germany may have been a goddess, part of...

Mass Grave of 150 Roman Legionaries Discovered in Vienna—First Direct Evidence of Ancient Combat on the Danube Limes

4 April 2025

4 April 2025

Archaeologists from the Vienna Museum have made a groundbreaking discovery on the outskirts of Vienna, unearthing the remains of approximately...

11,000-Year-Old LSU Campus Mounds Are Oldest Known Human-Made Structures In North America

23 August 2022

23 August 2022

According to new research published in the American Journal of Science, two six-meter (20-foot) high mounds on the campus of...

The latest discovery at the villa Civita Giuliana, north of Pompeii, the remains of a slave room

7 November 2021

7 November 2021

Ella IDE Pompeii archaeologists announced Saturday the discovery of the remnants of a “slave room” in an exceedingly unusual find...

4,500-year-old rare Canaanite goddess sculpture found by a farmer in Gaza Strip

25 April 2022

25 April 2022

A farmer in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, found a rare 4,500-year-old stone sculpture while...

2600-year-old Med period artifacts found in Oluz Höyük, in Turkey

17 October 2022

17 October 2022

During the Oluz Höyük excavations in Amasya, artifacts dating back to the Med Kingdom period were found, dating back to...

Archaeologists may have uncovered a 13th-century castle in Shropshire

7 August 2021

7 August 2021

Archaeologists have been working on a mound of land in Wem, Shropshire, that belongs to Soulton Hall, Elizabethan mansion and...