A friar crushed by a cart, another victim of an attack by bandits: it looks like the plot of a medieval mystery. But, according to new research, these are some of the possible misfortunes that have befallen those in past centuries.
An analysis of the bones of 314 individuals aged 12 and over, dating from about 1100 to 1530, and found at three different locations in Cambridge, reveals that bone fractures were common among those buried in a parish cemetery – where many ordinary workers would be lying to relax. But the team also found evidence of horrific injuries among those buried in an Augustinian convent, suggesting that the clergy were not protected from violent events.
“Medieval life was difficult for everyone,” said Dr. Jenna Dittmar, lead author of the study at Cambridge University.
Writing in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Dittmar and colleagues report how they analyzed previously excavated medieval bones, dating from the dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII. Although she said that not all the bones at the three sites were excavated and analyzed, those examined so far provide insights into different spheres of society.
“[Our results] they will be very representative because we have a parish cemetery, we have a hospital and also an Augustinian convent, ”she said.
The team found that bone fractures were more common among those buried in the parish cemetery, with 44% of the skeletons analyzed showing signs of such damage, compared with 32% of those buried in the convent. Multiple fractures were also more common among those buried in the parish cemetery.
“The people who were buried in the Todos os Santos parish cemetery would lead very difficult lives,” said Dittmar, noting that many were ordinary people who would have manual labor, from agricultural work to builders. In contrast, those buried in the convent would have led a clerical life or would be wealthy benefactors.
Although these injuries are more common among men, some women also show them. “[One] poor woman had her jaw broken at some point in her life, and it healed … but she had a number of other injuries as well, including broken ribs and [a] foot, “said Dittmar – although she said it is unclear whether the injuries were from an event. While the broken jaw may have been caused by a fall, there are other possibilities, said Dittmar: In modern times, women often have a broken jaw as a result of domestic violence.
Only 27% of individuals excavated at the São João Evangelista Hospital showed evidence of bone fractures – although a man appears to have fractured his knee in a fall.
“People would assume that a hospital is a place where sick, poor or infirm individuals would go, and they would be expected to have more fractures – which turned out not to be the case,” said Dittmar.
Dittmar said the hospital is more focused on pastoral care. “The concept of a medieval hospital takes a little time to get used to in modern times,” she said, noting that many people in the hospital would be poor, elderly and with chronic diseases such as tuberculosis.
Another surprise, Dittmar said, was that there was no evidence of weapon-related injuries, cured or not, among the dead – despite wars being common during medieval times.
But that does not mean that the violence was unknown: in fact, the team reports the remains of a friar who survived what Dittmar said may, among other explanations, have been an attack by bandits, with evidence that he was hit in the head by a blunt object.
“He could have hit his head on something,” said Dittmar. “[But] he also has a fractured arm, which is a defensive injury, so this suggests that he raised his arm to protect himself. “
Another friar was not so lucky: his skeleton had a broken neck and legs – with the possibility of being hit by a cart.
“The injuries he has are more similar to the ones people experience when they are hit by the car, more or less at the thigh,” said Dittmar. “We think it’s safe to say that he probably died as a result of any serious accident he was involved in.”