Scott E. Burnett

Congenital conditions may affect the body either in isolation or in combination with other anomalies. Their severity ranges from minor, relatively inconsequential variants, to major malformations and syndromes with functional significance and potentially deleterious effects. While congenital conditions affecting the skeleton have long been noted in archaeological contexts worldwide, their etiological and contextual heterogeneity results in a diversity of ways in which they are culturally and biologically interpreted, both in the past and today. This entry aims to provide a broad perspective on congenital conditions and their utility in archaeological contexts, using examples varying in severity and frequency.