The case presented includes a left temporal bone from an individual exhumed from the Hispano‐Mudejar necropolis in Uceda (Guadalajara, Spain) dated between the 13th and 14th centuries bc. External examination and computed tomography images show lesions in the external acoustic canal, in the form of diffuse widening, suggestive of a cholesteatoma originating in this canal, with invasion of the middle ear through the tympanic membrane. The difficulties with examining the internal elements of the ear are discussed, which causes the underestimation of these diseases in paleopathology studies.

Brachymetacarpia, a form of brachydactyly, is one of the so‐called rare diseases because of its low prevalence. Although it is a well‐known malformation today, which occasionally requires surgical correction, it is not, or hardly, reported in the palaeopathological literature. The case presented here includes an individual exhumed from the Mudejar cemetery in Uceda (Guadalajara, Spain) dated between the 13th and 14th centuries. It was in an acceptable state of preservation, except for the skull, missing except for the mandible. Its sex was determined as female and the age as a young adult. On examining the hands, the short length of both the 4th and 5th metacarpals and the shortening of the distal phalanx of one of the thumbs were noteworthy. No anomaly was observed in the bones of the feet, which were only partially recovered. Due to the characteristics of the shortening and bones affected, it was considered that the case probably corresponded to type E of brachydactyly in the Bell and Temtamy classifications and to subtype E2 in the Hertzog classification. No data were found in the bones or teeth, suggesting their inclusion in any of the multiple clinical syndromes with this abnormality.