The past people of Exeter : health and status in the Middle Ages
This thesis explores the skeletal health and socio-economic status across Exeter's medieval population. Excavation and historical sources illustrate the founding and development of Exeter as a city. However, little is known about the people who made that development possible, those who lived, worked and died there. The presence of a large collection of human skeletal remains (n=463) from Exeter is particularly important, considering that bone frequently does not survive well in the acidic soils of Devon. The analysis of this large collection of skeletal remains, from different periods and burial locations across medieval Exeter, is unparalleled. Combining the osteological analysis with archaeological and historical data, has enabled this study to form a synthesized and comprehensive picture of Exeter's medieval past, greatly increasing our knowledge of the health and status of this population. It was observed that during the Late Anglo-Saxon period, the less urbanised population of Exeter had an adequate diet supplemented with marine resources. They had few indicators of skeletal stress, but a lower age-of-death profile than the later-medieval population. The differences seen in skeletal health between Exeter's
Kingdom, M.
Bioarchaeology ; Medieval Exeter ; Health and Status
The past people of Exeter : health and status in the Middle Ages. This thesis explores the skeletal health and socio-economic status across Exeter's medieval population. Excavation and historical sources illustrate the founding and development of Exeter as a city. However, little is known about the people who made that development possible, those who lived, worked and died there. The presence of a large collection of human skeletal remains (n=463) from Exeter is particularly important, considering that bone frequently does not survive well in the acidic soils of Devon. The analysis of this large collection of skeletal remains, from different periods and burial locations across medieval Exeter, is unparalleled. Combining the osteological analysis with archaeological and historical data, has enabled this study to form a synthesized and comprehensive picture of Exeter's medieval past, greatly increasing our knowledge of the health and status of this population. It was observed that during the Late Anglo-Saxon period, the less urbanised population of Exeter had an adequate diet supplemented with marine resources. They had few indicators of skeletal stress, but a lower age-of-death profile than the later-medieval population. The differences seen in skeletal health between Exeter's
past_people exeter health_status explore skeletal health socio_economic_status across exeter medieval population excavation historical_source illustrate found development exeter city however_little known people make development possible live_work die there presence_large collection human_skeletal_remain exeter particularly_important consider bone frequently survive well soil devon analysis large_collection skeletal_remain different_period burial_location across medieval exeter unparalleled combining osteological_analysis archaeological_historical data enable study form synthesize comprehensive_picture exeter medieval_past greatly increase_knowledge health_status population observe late_anglo saxon_period less population exeter adequate diet marine_resource indicator skeletal_stress low age death profile later_medieval population difference see skeletal health exeter