Human skull recovery: how Forensic Anthropology solves the case of St.Cristoforo church

Recently, a human cranium was found on the altar of the Church of St. Cristoforo at the Monumental Certosa of Ferrara. There were no associated items that allowed for personal identification. It was required to arrive to a positive identification of the finding, providing eventual evidence of skeletal trauma. Therefore, the anthropological and anthropometrical characteristics of the cranium were defined, leading to an accurate estimation of age-at-death, sex and population affinity. Besides direct examination, we made also use of a 3D virtual model of the cranium, particularly useful for morpho-metric analyses and further verification also in case of its physical absence. Lacking evidence of skeletal trauma and the presence of polychromatic materials on the different anatomical areas of the cranial surface suggest that this skull was used for educational purposes