Original scientific paper
Bioarchaeological characteristics of the early modern population from the Koprivno-kod Križa site near Klis
Mario Novak
; Department of Archaeology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Mario Šlaus
; Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Maja Pasarić
; Department of Etnology, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The purpose of bioarchaeological analysis was to synthesise
anthropological data from the Early Modern
site at Koprivno – Kod križa and compare the demographic
picture and frequency of various ailments
in the sample from Koprivno with a composite late
medieval/early modern sample from inland Croatia
composed by the sites at Nova Rača, Tomaš and
Torčec.
For each skeleton, the sex and age was determined,
and the presence of the following pathological changes
was analysed: dental pathology (alveolar bone disease
and caries), osteological and dental indicators
of subadult stress (cribra orbitalia and dental enamel
hypoplasia), indicators of non-specific infectious diseases
(periostitis), degenerative changes on the spine
and major joints, Schmorl’s nodes on the vertebrae
and trauma.
The gathered data demonstrated significant differences
in the bioarchaeological characteristics between
the analysed samples in terms of average life span, periods
of highest mortality, frequency of alveolar bone
disease and caries, frequency of active forms of cribra
orbitalia among subadults and frequency of Schmorl’s
nodes and degenerative osteoarthritis on the spine
and major joints. The sample from Koprivno is characterised by a very low
frequency of long bone traumas, but a high frequency of
cranial traumas suggesting a certain degree of physical
risk that was most likely a result of minor conflicts between
individuals within the same community.
The gathered osteological data suggest that during the
Early Modern era the quality of life in the Dalmatian
hinterland was somewhat better than in the territory
north of the Sava River.
Keywords
bioarchaeology; Koprivno near Klis; Early Modern era; palaeodemography; palaeopathology; dental disease; subadult stress; trauma
Hrčak ID:
26727
URI
Publication date:
22.8.2008.
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