The study of ancient bone remains

Bio-archaeological studies and historical documents are a great tool to reconstruct the lifestyle and health conditions of the ancient populations, and to understand the correlation between man and the environment over the course of time. The Anthropological Service has taken part in the environmental protection activity of the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo, il Museo Nazionale Romano e l'Area Archeologica di Roma. This has contributed to outline the biological history of Roman society, in particular that of the Imperial age. In the last decades, new excavation methods applied to the human skeletal remains have helped to collect valuable information on Roman sepulchres, especially those found in the Suburb, because of the large number of civil buildings built after the urban development. These data, together with those deriving from in-depth laboratory investigation, are helping to understand the complex biological landscape of the ancient Roman population with its bio demographic and social processes