Brodie's abscess in a tibia dating from the Neolithic period.

Radiological and macroscopic characteristics typical of Brodie's abscess were observed in inferior metaphysis of a tibia estimated to be 5,000 years old. The use of rigorous anatomico-radiological criteria in studies of bone paleopathology can provide the doctor with accurate data regarding diseases of the past in bone specimens rarely at their disposal. This approach is also necessary to obtain valid data for paleontologists, prehistorians and archeologists.