I am pleased that paleopathology is starting to acquire general interest and that our paper on hip dysplasia of Giovanna from Austria and of her daughter Anna attracted comments. The lesions observed in the acetabular roofs of Giovanna had already been cited in a preliminary report, where an incomplete dislocation of the hip was diagnosed. The defect we described was only in the external acetabular roof of both women, with no lesions present in other parts of the acetabular cavities or in the femoral heads. Therefore, radiographs would probably not be helpful at this stage. We believe that the lesions of the acetabular roof of the pelvis of Giovanna and Anna are macroscopically evident, and that a diagnosis of mild developmental hip dysplasia is likely