Oldest epiphyseal osteochondroma in a subadult from Ancient Egypt

Benign bone tumours are pathologies frequently encountered in archaeological human remains, with the most common being osteoma and osteochondroma. We present the case of a juvenile individual recovered from the Necropolis of Sharuna, Middle Egypt and dated to the end of Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt (circa 2150 BC), showing an osteochondroma arising from the proximal epiphysis of the right tibia which, in all likelihood, affected the patellar tendon in life. Osteochondromas are usually discovered during childhood and adolescence. These lesions are commonly located at the metaphysis and diaphysis of long bones and directed away from the joint, with the epiphysis being a rare location. To our knowledge, there have been no similar cases published to date from ancient times and we conclude that this is the oldest case of epiphyseal osteochondroma reported.