This skull shows a complete cervical fusion from C1 through C5, meaning the neck vertebrae have fused into a single solid block of bone. Normally, the cervical spine provides remarkable flexibility, allowing us to nod, turn, and tilt our heads with the help of seven vertebrae cushioned by discs and supported by intricate muscle and ligament systems. But in this individual, that movement was gone. Such fusion could have resulted from ankylosing spondylitis, trauma, or a congenital condition, caus