The Study of Human Bones
The study of human bones is the most tangible source for understanding the lives and deaths of all past populations – elites in some cases, but also the vast majority of people who generally receive little attention in the written sources and are poorly represented in the general archaeological picture of the post-classical period.
Preparation for stable isotopes analysis at the Department of Geosciences, University of Padua
Analysis of Skeletons
Bone Pathology
Osteological Paradox
This means that skeletons with no signs of diseases on the bones were not necessarily in excellent health. This is known as the ‘osteological paradox’.
Living Conditions in Early Rome
Analysing skulls with non-specific lesions
Hypoplasia in Teeth
Teeth with signs of Hypoplasia
Infectious Diseases
Dental Calculus Research
Looking for clues in tartar
These elements in tartar can therefore give useful information for the reconstruction of the diet, environment and information on people’s lifestyle.
However, when analysing human skeletons, it is always important to understand aspects such as their social status – something that can only be deduced from their archaeological context and specifically the place where individuals were buried (for example, in a church or conversely an isolated cemetery in the countryside), the qualities of their tomb structures, or the grave-goods which accompanied them to the after-life.
Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy
Enlightening the Dark Ages: Early Medieval Archaeology in Italy
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