While there have been numerous studies investigating intestinal parasitic infection in the Roman period, much of this work has been focused in northern Europe, with major gaps in the eastern empire.In order to further elucidate regional patterns in parasitic infection in the Roman empire, we looked for evidence for parasites in sites from Anatolia and the Balkans.Sediment samples from drains as well as coprolites were studied to find evidence for intestinal parasites in the Roman cities of Viminacium (Serbia) and Sardis (Turkey), and results were combined with previous work in these regions.Each sample was tested for preserved helminth (worm) eggs using microscopy and for intestinal protozoa that cause diarrhea, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Our analysis revealed a predominance of species spread by the contamination of food and water by human feces, namely roundworm and whipworm.The identification of these parasites (which are linked to sanitation and hygiene) in Roman cities in Anatolia and the Balkans is contrasted with the range of zoonotic species found elsewhere in the empire.It appears that variations in cooking practices, diet, urbanization, and climate throughout the empire may have contributed to differences in gastrointestinal diseases in different regions. 1
Аbstract:The archaeological site of Margum/Morava, at the confluence of the Velika Morava into the Danube, was an important strategic point.The first traces of a settlement originate from the Neolithic period.This is the first anthropological analysis ever performed on the Margum/Morava material, although the site itself has been archaeologically investigated since the beginning of the 20 th century, and many burials were found, from Bronze Age, Roman times, Migration period, Byzantine period and the Middle Ages.The anthropological analysis published here presents the results of the excavations performed in 2011.Even though the number of graves analysed here is modest -a total of 8 graves (we took into account only non-devastated graves for this analysis), they produced exciting results that will help us shed light on the living conditions in this area.Most frequent changes on bones were the ones that can be connected with occupational stress, osteoarthrosis and dental diseases, but also fractures and infections resulting from injuries, metabolic stress and even two possible cases of tuberculosis.
Advances in geochemical and physical anthropological studies have provided new tools to reconstruct ancient lifestyles, especially of those minorities not commonly mentioned in historical texts. In comparison to males, little is known about everyday life in female monastic communities, and how it has changed over time. In this paper, we present a paleodietary (δ13C and δ15N in bone collagen) study of human (n = 58) and animal (n = 13) remains recovered from the former Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in Belmonte (Cuenca, central Spain). Two funerary areas used by Dominican nuns were sampled: one dated to the sixteenth (n = 34) and the seventeenth (n = 15) centuries, and the other dated in the nineteenth and twentieth (n = 9) centuries. The isotopic values for sheep (n = 7) suggest the animals consumed at the convent came from diverse ecosystems or were raised under a range of management strategies. The human samples reflect a terrestrial diet, and those from the nineteenth to twentieth century, in some cases, reveal the presence of C4 plants (millet, corn or sugar cane). Due to their religious practice, the consumption of terrestrial animal protein was restricted, and although they were allowed to eat fish, the isotopic signatures show little evidence of this. The individuals from the sixteenth and seventeenth century show a continuous shift in δ15N (9.7–12.7‰), with few significant differences in relation to the period, age, or pathologies (osteoporosis, periostitis, and brucellosis). The nineteenth- to twentieth-century samples can be divided into two groups: (a) one that fits the trend of previous centuries, albeit with a higher δ15N, possibly related to extensive access to animal protein; and (b) a second group with elevated δ13C values (up to − 15.7‰). Different customs in the assumed homogeneous monastic life are discussed as possible sources of isotopic variation, including access to luxury products such as animal protein or sugar, or the practice of periods of food abstinence, which were especially popular with these communities, according to historical records.
The purpose of this thesis is to gain an understanding of the daily lives of nuns from convents on the Iberian Peninsula in modern time (16th – 20th century) by examining their skeletal remains. A study of female monastic communities does not mean just “filling the gap”, but expending and enriching the knowledge of the most crucial chapter of female history in Christianity. It is important to remember that nuns were the only women who were able to live an independent life and acquire education, which was denied even to the women of the highest class, and that some of the most significant female poets, writers, painters, philosophers, composers… spent their life behind convent walls. Also, it was the only community of women, run by women, where they were free to make their own decision on administration, to take care of documentation, and even more important - finances. For that reason, many historians and theoreticians see in nunneries the origin of feminism. Therefore, the idea of this study is to investigate not only the basic aspects of physical anthropology (such as osteology, anthropometry, paleodemography), but also the nutrition, the change of their health and diet before and after entering the monastery, traumas, degenerative diseases, dental health, occupational stress, infectious diseases, as well as possible differences in the way of life between monasteries. Obtained results were compared to the secular female population of the same period and the same region, in order to determine in which way their lifestyles differed. For the purposes of this study, three monastic and three secular populations, from Spain and Portugal, were analysed. El objetivo de esta tesis es conocer la vida cotidiana de monjas de conventos de la Peninsula Iberica en los tiempos modernos (siglos XVI - XX) examinando sus restos esqueleticos. Un estudio de las comunidades monasticas femeninas no supone solo “llenar la brecha”, sino ampliar e enriquecer el conocimiento del capitulo mas importante de la historia femenina en el cristianismo. Es importante recordar que las monjas eran las unicas mujeres que podian vivir una vida independiente y adquirir una educacion que se negaba incluso a las mujeres de la clase mas alta, y que algunas de las poetisas, escritoras, pintoras, filosofas o compositoras mas significantivas... pasaron su vida detras de los muros de un convento. Ademas, se trata de la unica comunidad de mujeres, dirigida por mujeres, en la que eran libres de tomar decisiones sobre la administracion, como cuidar la documentacion y, aun mas importante, sobre las finanzas. Por esta razon, muchos historiadores y teoricos ven en los monasterios el origen del feminismo. Por lo tanto, la idea de este estudio es investigar no solo los aspectos basicos de la antropologia fisica (como la osteologia, la antropometria, la paleodemografia), sino tambien la nutricion, los cambios de la salud y dieta antes y despues de entrar en el monasterio, los traumas, la salud dental, el estres ocupacional y las enfermedades infecciosas, asi como las posibles diferencias en el modo de vida entre los diferentes monasterios. Los resultados obtenidos se compararon con la poblacion femenina secular del mismo periodo y de la misma region, con el fin de determinar de que modo sus estilos de vida eran diferentes. Para los propositos de este estudio se analizaron tres poblaciones monasticas y tres poblaciones seculares desde en Espana y Portugal.
espanolDurante de la restauracion de la Iglesia medieval de Santo Domingo de Silos, en Pradena del Rincon (Madrid), se descubrio una necropolis con al menos 245 individuos enterrados entre los siglos XII y XV, siendo mas del 50 % subadultos. Se realizo un estudio antropologico, paleopatologico y radiologico de los individuos, permitiendonos identificar la presencia de traumatismos (de etiologia accidental y violenta), enfermedades metabolicas, infecciosas, trastornos circulatorios, degenerativos y tumorales. Llama la atencion la tumba 36, un osario donde se han encontrado restos de 49 adultos y 6 infantiles, por la poca proporcion de ninos en comparacion con el resto de la necropolis (71 adultos y 119 ninos). Todas estas patologias encajan dentro de la normalidad para una poblacion medieval de entorno rural ganadero, cuyo contexto historico, la Reconquista, pudo ser el origen de las muertes violentas localizadas. EnglishDuring the restoration of the medieval church of Santo Domingo de Silos in Pradena del Rincon (Madrid, Spain) a necropolis with at least 245 individuals, buried between the 12th and 15th centuries, was discovered. Out of this number, more than 50% were children. A full anthropological, paleopathological and radiological study of these individuals was performed, including trauma (accidentally and violent), metabolic diseases, infections, circulatory disorders, degenerative disorders and tumours. The discovery of ossuary 36, with the remains of 49 adults and 6 children, was noteworthy due to the low proportion of children compared to the rest of the necropolis (71 adults and 119 children). All these pathologies fit within the normality for a medieval population of rural cattle-breeding environment, whose historical context, the period of Reconquista in central Spain, could be the origin of the violent deaths.
Abstract In the town of Calera y Chozas (Spain), five mass graves containing the remains of 28 individuals were discovered during a 2012 excavation. The witnesses and historical evidence indicated that the body of the last Republican mayor of the town, Felipe Fernández Varela, who had died in September 1939, was located in the mass grave designated as no. 1. Within this particular grave, only two bodies were found. Anthropological analysis showed that the first individual was significantly younger than 50 years, being the mayor’s age at the time of death, while the age of the second individual was closer to 50. This second individual had a fractured skull, with a depression on the left parietal bone, and there were unmistakable signs of autopsy, which consisted of cut marks on the frontal bone and the sternal extremity of the right clavicle. Further historical research revealed documents concerning the autopsy performed on this individual. Although, according to the report, the cause of death was a stroke — the consequence of atherosclerosis and alcoholism — no reference was made to the forceful impact to the skull or intracranial bleeding. Considering the size of the fracture on the skull and the fact that there were no signs of bone healing, we believe that this impact, and not the stroke, was the direct cause of the death of the last Republican mayor. The mayor’s case is a clear example of the role forensic medicine performed at the beginning of Franco’s dictatorship. The task was not only to conceal the crime but also to tarnish the victim’s name.
Although the medieval necropoles of Rudine and Svetinja (Braničevo) were excavated almost 40 years ago, an anthropological analysis was performed for the first time in 2017.As in the 1980s the importance of physical anthropology was still not fully recognised, physical anthropologists were few in number, and anthropological analyses were rarely carried out.It was common for the skeletal material to be reburied, therefore, we believe that this skeletal material was preserved only by chance.Although only a small part of the graves was found (two from Rudine and five from Svetinja), the results of the analysis show the presence of metabolic diseases, congenital deformation, traumatic injuries, and even interpersonal violence, which represent an important addition to archaeological and historical knowledge about life in medieval Serbia.
Objective: To present a case of knee joint ankylosis in human skeletal remains found in Istria, Croatia. Materials and methods: A fused knee joint was found at archeological site St Teodor. We analyzed the knee changes using macroscopic observation, using digital radiography and computed tomography. Results: Macroscopic analysis and both digital radiography and computed tomography imaging show knee ankylosis with cortical thickening. Conclusion: Knee ankylosis with cortical thickening suggests that the person still used the leg despite the disability.
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