(ORDO NEWS) — In 2018, archaeologists described a truly fascinating case – they discovered the remains of a medieval man who had a… knife instead of a hand. Let’s talk about how it happened.
This medieval Italian very successfully beat his disability – he attached a knife to an amputated arm. Must have looked spectacular.
The skeleton in question was found in 2018 in northern Italy. It belongs to a man aged 40-50 who lived around the 6th-7th centuries AD.
Along with him were found the remains of hundreds more people, as well as a decapitated horse and several greyhounds. But it was he who attracted the attention of archaeologists.
The thing is that this man did not have part of his arm – it was amputated to the middle of the forearm.
Researchers at Sapienza University determined that the limb had been removed as a result of blunt force trauma.
“One version is that the limb was amputated for medical reasons: it may have been broken due to an accidental fall or in some other way, resulting in an incurable fracture.
A more detailed study revealed that a callus and a bone spur had formed on the ulna, which indicates that after the amputation the man wore a prosthesis. And unusual – in place of the hand, he attached a knife.
Archaeologists have also studied the teeth of this medieval Italian.
They found that the enamel on them was literally worn away – which means that the man probably constantly used his teeth to tighten the leather belt that held his prosthetic knife.
Most likely, the rest of the hand was covered with a leather “case”: a D-shaped buckle was attached to it, holding the knife.
Everything indicates that after the amputation, the man lived a long life, using his modified arm for its intended purpose.
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