An achondroplastic individual from 5 th century BCE Himera, Sicily. Genomic analysis of 5th century BCE skeleton from Himera, Sicily, reveals confirmed case of achondroplasia

The Greek colony of Himera lasted from 648 BCE until its destruction by Carthage in 409 BCE and is one of the most extensively excavated cities from the Greek archaic / classical world. The skeletal remains belonging to a single male individual showing morphological indications of dwarfism were found in 2009 in the Western Necropolis of Himera in Sicily. Genetic analysis of genome-wide data generated for this individual confirmed the diagnosis of achondroplasia. This individual had entirely Anatolian ancestry.