Medieval populations, society and climate: an interdisciplinary approach to the study of two skeletal assemblages from Bucharest and Braşov (Romania), 14th- 18th cent. AD
Abstract
The complex relationship between human societies and the environment has
become a thriving field of research over the past three decades. The contribution of
human osteoarchaeology to exploring this relationship, however, has been rather
limited.
Two unpublished late medieval skeletal assemblages unearthed in the
historical centres of Bucharest and Braşov (located in southern and north-central
Romania respectively) seemed ideal choices for investigating the impact of
substantial climatic and environmental changes that took place worldwide between
the 14th and the 18th century AD. As witnessed by medieval artistic and
documentary sources, this unsettled climate was mirrored by human populations
with social and political instability, epidemics, famine, but also through the rise of
new cultural movements.
The analysis of over 600 individuals (a minimum number of 421 individuals
from Bucharest and 206 from Braşov) was carried out to:
1) Provide a thorough osteological analysis, and compare and test statistically
the collected data to reconstruct demographic and pathological patterning;
2) Identify ‘skeletal environmental markers’, i.e. possible indicators of the effect
of climatic shifts on the human body;
3) Cross-reference osteological, archaeological, historical and climatological
data in order to present a robust biocultural assessment of the impact of
environmental and historical events on the Romanian population during the Middle
Ages.
The identification of low life-expectancy, higher mortality rates for children and
young adults and general high morbidity levels were in line with other studies on
medieval populations. However, evidence for a high prevalence of specific
physiological and psychological stress markers was observed in these two
geographically, culturally and economically different urban communities. As a
strong mortality- and morbidity-shaping factor, the detrimental effect of climate
anomalies is one of the main explanations for such findings, and is supported by
medieval historical sources and recent advances in Romanian climatological studies.
Despite some limitations (i.e. incomplete chronological information for most of
the burial contexts, minimal local historical sources, lack of funding for isotopic
analyses, and time constraints), the results of the present study have offered a new
perspective on the relationship between Romanian medieval populations and their
living environment, and have shown the enormous potential of interdisciplinary
bioarchaeological research in Romania.