Living outside the city gates : a palaeopathological, demographic, isotopic and comparative analysis of the post-medieval St Gertrude Church cemetery population in Riga, Latvia
This research is based on 721 skeletons excavated from the complex site of the St Gertrude Church cemetery in Riga, Latvia, dating from the 15th - 17th centuries AD. The main aims of the analysis were to assess several aspects of physical health and diet of the local population and help to identify whether the people buried in two mass graves represent a different âpopulationâ group. To achieve these aims, both macroscopic and biogeochemical (isotopic) skeletal analyses were conducted. The equal distribution of prevalence of dental disease suggest a similar diet in terms of the proportion of carbohydrates for the whole population. Adult dietary isotope analysis for 96 individuals does not reveal context-specific differences in values. Incremental dentine analysis for 19 children shows that non-adults in one of the mass graves experienced nutritional stress towards the end of their lives. Similar dietary profiles of some children from both mass graves suggest that they were members of the same community. Strontium isotope analysis for the same 19 children does not yield significantly different enamel ratios between the contexts and suggests that most children buried in the cemetery were likely from Riga.
Petersone-Gordina, Elina
Living outside the city gates : a palaeopathological, demographic, isotopic and comparative analysis of the post-medieval St Gertrude Church cemetery population in Riga, Latvia. This research is based on 721 skeletons excavated from the complex site of the St Gertrude Church cemetery in Riga, Latvia, dating from the 15th - 17th centuries AD. The main aims of the analysis were to assess several aspects of physical health and diet of the local population and help to identify whether the people buried in two mass graves represent a different âpopulationâ group. To achieve these aims, both macroscopic and biogeochemical (isotopic) skeletal analyses were conducted. The equal distribution of prevalence of dental disease suggest a similar diet in terms of the proportion of carbohydrates for the whole population. Adult dietary isotope analysis for 96 individuals does not reveal context-specific differences in values. Incremental dentine analysis for 19 children shows that non-adults in one of the mass graves experienced nutritional stress towards the end of their lives. Similar dietary profiles of some children from both mass graves suggest that they were members of the same community. Strontium isotope analysis for the same 19 children does not yield significantly different enamel ratios between the contexts and suggests that most children buried in the cemetery were likely from Riga.
living outside city gate palaeopathological demographic isotopic comparative_analysis post_medieval church cemetery_population base skeleton excavate complex site church cemetery date main_aim analysis assess several_aspect physical health_diet local_population help identify whether people bury mass graf represent different population group achieve_aim macroscopic isotopic skeletal analysis_conduct equal distribution prevalence dental_disease suggest similar diet term proportion whole population adult dietary isotope_analysis individual reveal context specific difference value incremental dentine analysis child show non adults mass graf experience nutritional stress towards_end life similar dietary profile child mass graf suggest member_community strontium isotope_analysis child yield significantly_different enamel ratio contexts suggest_child bury cemetery likely