The Digital Atlas of Ancient Rare Diseases (DAARD) and its relevance for current research.

Background: The history of rare diseases is largely unknown. Research on this topic has focused on individual cases of prominent (historical) individuals and artistic (e.g.

A possible case of Langerhans-cell histiocytosis? Differential diagnosis in a rare case from the Late Antiquity Bavaria (Germany).

Objective: To outline the importance of accurate diagnosis in ancient rare diseases by presenting a possible case of Langerhans-cell histiocytosis.

Materials: Skeletal elements from a well-preserved skeleton of a nine to eleven-year-old, probably female child who lived around 300-400 AD Late Roman Neuburg / Donau (Germany).

Methods: Macroscopic, radiologic, light and scanning-electron microscopic and physical techniques were used.

How rare is rare? A literature survey of the last 45 years of paleopathological research on ancient rare diseases.

Objective: This paper aims to provide a quantitative estimation of the representation of diseases defined as rare today in the bioarchaeological literature and to outline the reasons for this.

Materials: A 45-year bibliometric study of publications in seven bioarchaeological journals, along with two journals and editorial groups of broader scientific focus.

Methods: Analyses of distribution patterns of the search hits and diachronic trends for achondroplasia, autosomal-dominant osteopetrosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and osteopoikilosis, compared to those for tuberculosis as control measure of coverage.