Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle)
The later centuries of the Middle Ages were a time of recurrent epidemics and famines, some of which caused such huge mortality that mass graves and emergency burial grounds had to be created. Several anthropological studies have investigated these graves and cemeteries, but only a few have attempte...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Société d'Anthropologie de Paris
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/7664 |
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| author | Auxane de Lépinau Dominique Castex Hana Brzobohatá Jan Frolík Filip Velímský Jaroslav Brůžek Petr Velemínský Sacha Kacki |
| author_facet | Auxane de Lépinau Dominique Castex Hana Brzobohatá Jan Frolík Filip Velímský Jaroslav Brůžek Petr Velemínský Sacha Kacki |
| author_sort | Auxane de Lépinau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The later centuries of the Middle Ages were a time of recurrent epidemics and famines, some of which caused such huge mortality that mass graves and emergency burial grounds had to be created. Several anthropological studies have investigated these graves and cemeteries, but only a few have attempted to assess the bioarchaeological features that could distinguish between these two types of crisis. Our study tackles this question through an anthropological and palaeopathological study of three 14th century mass graves at Kutná Hora – Sedlec (Czech Republic), for which historical data support a relationship with either a famine or the Black Death. Data on the 68 skeletons recovered from these graves were compared with data on 284 skeletons from a local mediaeval cemetery (Sedlec Cathedral) and with a set of reference data documenting plague and famine mortality. The results reveal differences in age structure, osteometrics and pre-existing health status between the catastrophic and attritional assemblages. The general pattern of non-adult mortality, the value of certain demographic indices and the pattern of skeletal lesions in the mass graves investigated align more closely with the reference data for plague mortality, making their link with the Black Death the most likely scenario. Although a definite diagnosis will require further analysis, this study offers the first evidence of features that might distinguish between these two types of crisis, paving the way for future research on past epidemics and famines. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ee184af5805049beb008ed3fb8b5ecf8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1777-5469 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Société d'Anthropologie de Paris |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris |
| spelling | doaj-art-ee184af5805049beb008ed3fb8b5ecf82025-01-30T11:27:30ZengSociété d'Anthropologie de ParisBulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris1777-54692021-07-013310.4000/bmsap.7664Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle)Auxane de LépinauDominique CastexHana BrzobohatáJan FrolíkFilip VelímskýJaroslav BrůžekPetr VelemínskýSacha KackiThe later centuries of the Middle Ages were a time of recurrent epidemics and famines, some of which caused such huge mortality that mass graves and emergency burial grounds had to be created. Several anthropological studies have investigated these graves and cemeteries, but only a few have attempted to assess the bioarchaeological features that could distinguish between these two types of crisis. Our study tackles this question through an anthropological and palaeopathological study of three 14th century mass graves at Kutná Hora – Sedlec (Czech Republic), for which historical data support a relationship with either a famine or the Black Death. Data on the 68 skeletons recovered from these graves were compared with data on 284 skeletons from a local mediaeval cemetery (Sedlec Cathedral) and with a set of reference data documenting plague and famine mortality. The results reveal differences in age structure, osteometrics and pre-existing health status between the catastrophic and attritional assemblages. The general pattern of non-adult mortality, the value of certain demographic indices and the pattern of skeletal lesions in the mass graves investigated align more closely with the reference data for plague mortality, making their link with the Black Death the most likely scenario. Although a definite diagnosis will require further analysis, this study offers the first evidence of features that might distinguish between these two types of crisis, paving the way for future research on past epidemics and famines.https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/7664palaeodemographyhistorical demographymortality crisisBlack Deathfaminenon-specific stress markers |
| spellingShingle | Auxane de Lépinau Dominique Castex Hana Brzobohatá Jan Frolík Filip Velímský Jaroslav Brůžek Petr Velemínský Sacha Kacki Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d’Anthropologie de Paris palaeodemography historical demography mortality crisis Black Death famine non-specific stress markers |
| title | Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) |
| title_full | Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) |
| title_fullStr | Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) |
| title_short | Entre peste et famine : caractérisation d’une crise de mortalité par l’étude de trois sépultures multiples du site de Kutná Hora – Sedlec (République tchèque, XIVe siècle) |
| title_sort | entre peste et famine caracterisation d une crise de mortalite par l etude de trois sepultures multiples du site de kutna hora sedlec republique tcheque xive siecle |
| topic | palaeodemography historical demography mortality crisis Black Death famine non-specific stress markers |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/bmsap/7664 |
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