Paleopathology of the Copper Age mummy from the Val senales glacier

The unique conditions of preservation of the Copper age mummy found in the Val Senales glacier permit to analyze the general state of health of a man of the late European prehistory. Investigations conducted within the organizational framework of an International Research Project revealed the presence of a series of alterations, that, in a broad sense, can be considered of paleopathological interest. These can be classified as: 1) post mortem lesions, including scalp erosion, alopecia, soft tissue loss in the right gluteal region, right coxo-femoral disarticulation, right sacro-iliac dislocation; 2) lesions that occurred intra vitam, including tattooings, dental wear, trichorrexis nodosa, nail hypoplasia, moderate osteoarthrosis of the lumbar vertebral column and of the coxo-femoral joints, tibio-tarsal osteosclerosis. The palaeopathological analysis of this unique mummy shed vivid light on the mutual interactions between disease, environment, and culture, that shaped human life in a distant past.