A Possible case of Facio-Auriculo-Vertebral sequence (FAVs) in an adult female from medieval Iceland (13th-16th Century).

Objective: This paper presents a possible case of Facio-Auriculo-Vertebral sequence (FAVs) in an adult female from Haffjarðarey, Western Iceland (1200-1563 CE) and a brief review of associated terminology.

Materials: The skeletal remains of a single adult female (HFE-A-34, 18-24 years old), excavated in 1945 by the National Museum of Iceland.

Methods: We carried out macroscopic examination of the cranium and mandible in 2017.

Results: Right side unilateral asymmetric craniofacial dysplasia was identified on the cranium and mandible of HFE-A-34.

Conclusions: This individual presents with anomalous craniofacial asymmetry consistent with a clinical diagnosis of FAVs.

Significance: This paper offers a visually distinct case of an under-represented and under-documented congenital condition for future identification within paleopathology.

Limitations: Infra-cranial skeletal manifestations of FAVs would strengthen this possible diagnosis, but at this time it is not possible to definitively link the cranium and mandible of HFE-A-34 to any of the infra-cranial remains excavated from Haffjarðarey.

Suggestions For Further Research: In addition to further clarifying the variable nature of FAVs in archaeological remains, a detailed discussion of disability and the perception of disabled individuals within the medieval North Atlantic is necessary in order to understand the lived experiences of affected individuals.