The present study focused on the reconstruction of the diet, lifestyle and health of the individuals that lived around 7th c. AD in the northern coast of the island of Mallorca (Spain). The skeletal remains came from the Necropolis of Can Reiners, located above the ancient forum of the Roman city of Pollentia. The excavation, conducted between 1980 and 1988, unearthed more than 200 burials of four different typologies. This thesis analyzed the osteological material of 156 of these burials, that contained a total of 226 individuals. Demographic analysis showed that the sample is composed of 63. 9% of adults and 36. 1% of non-adults. Regarding adults only 15. 8% of the individuals were mature and no senile were present. Among the population, 37% were males, 25. 5% females and 37. 5% individuals of unknown sex. We observed that the mortality was not balanced between sexes, being the sex ratio (male/female=1. 5) favorable to males. The crude mortality rate for Can Reiners individuals is 37. 59% and the life expectancy at birth was approximately 26. 6 years. Therefore, results of the analysis of our sample showed a high mortality and low life expectancy, which conforms to the expected values for ancient populations such as this one. Therefore, the low frequencies of pathologies such as osteoarthritis and traumas agree with the demographic data. We also analyzed other original bioanthropological aspects of the population. We elaborated a new method based on clinical dental practice suitable for fragmented skeletal remains in order to study the presence of malocclusion in ancient skeletal material. Our findings exhibited that the individuals of Can Reiners showed occlusal characteristics of ancient (such as high dental wear and molar relationship Class III) and modern (crowding, crossbite, among others) populations, although the normocclusion was present in 70% of the sample. Finally interesting data were discovered through the analysis of the microremains observed within the dental calculus. In this context the research followed two steps. Step one focused on the characterization of several cereal seeds cultivated in the Mediterranean -since they are the plant organ with the highest starch content (about 70%) and one of the major sources of carbohydrates of the human diet- in order to eventually identify them in the microscopic analysis. Step two consisted in the microscopic analysis of different dental calculi sampled from skeletal remains recovered from the necropolis of Can Reiners. Within the sampled dental calculi the presence of different starch grains pointed to the use of various cereals crops in the island. Other botanical remains, such as spores and pollen grains, indicated the environment where they lived. The identification of these remains could be a powerful instrument for the reconstruction of the ancient diet, habits and the physical and social environment of the ancient populations.
The necropolis of Can Reiners (7th c. AD, Mallorca, Spain): demography, health, and lifestyle / Fiorin, Elena. - (2015).
The necropolis of Can Reiners (7th c. AD, Mallorca, Spain): demography, health, and lifestyle
Elena Fiorin
2015
Abstract
The present study focused on the reconstruction of the diet, lifestyle and health of the individuals that lived around 7th c. AD in the northern coast of the island of Mallorca (Spain). The skeletal remains came from the Necropolis of Can Reiners, located above the ancient forum of the Roman city of Pollentia. The excavation, conducted between 1980 and 1988, unearthed more than 200 burials of four different typologies. This thesis analyzed the osteological material of 156 of these burials, that contained a total of 226 individuals. Demographic analysis showed that the sample is composed of 63. 9% of adults and 36. 1% of non-adults. Regarding adults only 15. 8% of the individuals were mature and no senile were present. Among the population, 37% were males, 25. 5% females and 37. 5% individuals of unknown sex. We observed that the mortality was not balanced between sexes, being the sex ratio (male/female=1. 5) favorable to males. The crude mortality rate for Can Reiners individuals is 37. 59% and the life expectancy at birth was approximately 26. 6 years. Therefore, results of the analysis of our sample showed a high mortality and low life expectancy, which conforms to the expected values for ancient populations such as this one. Therefore, the low frequencies of pathologies such as osteoarthritis and traumas agree with the demographic data. We also analyzed other original bioanthropological aspects of the population. We elaborated a new method based on clinical dental practice suitable for fragmented skeletal remains in order to study the presence of malocclusion in ancient skeletal material. Our findings exhibited that the individuals of Can Reiners showed occlusal characteristics of ancient (such as high dental wear and molar relationship Class III) and modern (crowding, crossbite, among others) populations, although the normocclusion was present in 70% of the sample. Finally interesting data were discovered through the analysis of the microremains observed within the dental calculus. In this context the research followed two steps. Step one focused on the characterization of several cereal seeds cultivated in the Mediterranean -since they are the plant organ with the highest starch content (about 70%) and one of the major sources of carbohydrates of the human diet- in order to eventually identify them in the microscopic analysis. Step two consisted in the microscopic analysis of different dental calculi sampled from skeletal remains recovered from the necropolis of Can Reiners. Within the sampled dental calculi the presence of different starch grains pointed to the use of various cereals crops in the island. Other botanical remains, such as spores and pollen grains, indicated the environment where they lived. The identification of these remains could be a powerful instrument for the reconstruction of the ancient diet, habits and the physical and social environment of the ancient populations.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
