A bioarchaeological contribution to the social history of Roman Macedonia: the Pontokomi ‐Vrysi site in Kozani Prefecture, Greece

AbstractRoman Macedonia has been largely neglected by bioarchaeological research. As a result, little is known about the imprint of living conditions of that time on the skeletons of its inhabitants, especially those of the lower classes. This paper presents the palaeopathological study conducted on a Roman period (1st-4th c. CE) skeletal assemblage from Pontokomi-Vrysi in Kozani Prefecture, Greece. The aim was to investigate differences in the frequency of multiple palaeopathological conditions among males, females, and nonadults, and to assess whether these were be linked to sex- or age-related differences in a community once residing in the semi-mountainous region ofEordaea in Upper Macedonia. The study included cribra orbitalia (CO), porotic hyperostosis (PH), and enamel hypoplasia (EH), osteoarthritis (OA), vertebral osteoarthritis (VOA), intervertebral disc disease (IDD), and Schmorl ’s nodes (SNs), trauma (Tr), and periostitis (PO). The results showed higher frequencies of OA, IDD, PO, and Tr among males compared to females, often statistically significantly ones. These results suggest increased male physical hardship, pointing to a possible gender division of labor with the men of the community being mostly responsible for the physically demanding agricultural and animal husbandry activities. Additionally, comparisons of the CO and PH patterns in adults and nonadults support that, in general the Pontokomi-Vrysi community was resilient enough to overcome stress, as m...
Source: International Journal of Osteoarchaeology - Category: Science Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research