A POSSIBLE NEOLITHIC EXAMPLE OF KLIPPEL-FEIL SYNDROME FROM APULIA, SOUTHERN ITALY: THE EARLIEST KNOWN CASE IN THE ITALIAN BIOARCHEOLOGICAL RECORD?

This study presents the archaeological examination of skeletal remains from the Neolithic funerary site of Cala Colombo in Torre a Mare, Bari (Apulia, Southern Italy ), with a focus on a peculiar case of vertebra! block possibly related to Klippel-Feil Syndrome (KFS). The site,first explored in 1973, revealed multiple burials within two rounded spaces, datingfrom 3100 BC to 2700 BC (Final Neolithic). A signifìcant discovery among the skeletal remains, from a stratigraphic survey showing seven soil layers, was the identifìcation of two fused cervical vertebrae (C4-C5) in one individuai, suggesting the presence of KFS, a rare congenita! disorder characterized by the congenita! fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae during the gestation period. The methodology included conventional X-rays, CT scans, and histological analysis to distinguish between congenita! fusion and fusion resulting from other diseases. The findings confirmed the congenita! nature of the fusion, with no evidence of trauma, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis, or other differential diagnoses typically associated with vertebralfusion. This case contributes to the scarce archaeological record of KFS, particularly from the Neolithic period in Europe, with prior documented cases in Greece and Portugal. This analysis also introduces histology as a tool in palaeopathology, providing deeper insight into the embryological defects leading to vertebra! segmentationfailure. The presentApulian case could represent, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest documented instance of KFS in Italy, expanding our understanding of the genetic and phenotypic expression of this condition in ancient populations.