Un cacciatore sfortunato. Analisi interdisciplinare di una lesione in una vertebra non umana rinvenuto all'lsolino Virginia (5.300- 900 a.C.)

The contribution presents the interdisciplinary analyses conducted on a vertebra of Red deer, part of the Ponti collection, which later merged into the collection of the Civic Museums of Villa Mirabello in 1924. The recent reexamination of the bone, discovered during 19th-century excavations on Isolino Virginia and therefore ascribable to a broad chronological range spanning from the Early Neolithic (5,300 B.C.) to the Late Bronze Age (900 B.C.), has revealed the presence of a non-lethal trauma resulting from a projectile weapon wound with a flint point, the fragments of which remained embedded in the vertebra. The uniqueness of the find enabled interdisciplinary study, involving expertise in the fields of archaeozoology, paleopathology, lithic technology, etc., employing macroscopic, microscopic, and instrumental diagnostic imaging analyses. Microscopic analyses were conducted using a Hirox RH-2000 digital microscope, and radiodiagnostic analyses were performed with a cone beam CT scanner. The excellent state of preservation of the specimen allowed the identification of two ellipsoid-shaped bone cavities at the level of the spinous process, the first characterized by the presence of lithic fragments partially enclosed by bone tissue and the second possibly of pathological origin. These data, combined with radiological findings, provided insights into the healing process of the lesion, modifications of bone structure, animal paleopathology, the lithic tool used, and possible hunting strategies, enhancing our understanding of the prehistory of the Varese region and offering a methodological example for approaching this type of archaeological artifact.