The Invisible Elderly: The Social and Osteological Aspects of Growing Old in the Post-Medieval Netherlands

The elderly remain the most neglected, understudied, and invisible demographic within osteoarchaeology due to systematic methodological, preservation, and societal biases leading to their lack of research interest and identification in the archaeological record. When old age is studied, the focus primarily lies on developing more accurate and precise age-at-death methodologies. This results in the loss of the lived experiences of the past elderly. Therefore, this thesis aims to reconstruct the social and osteological aspects of the ageing process in the post-medieval Netherlands using a multifactorial approach in an attempt to address this osteological age bias. This was done through second metacarpal radiogrammetry and the macroscopic analysis of two 19th-century Dutch skeletal assemblages from the Broerenkerk situated in the city of Zwolle (N = 40) and the Keyserkerk located in the urban village of Middenbeemster (N = 55). Specifically, old age was studied through the lens of five...Show moreThe elderly remain the most neglected, understudied, and invisible demographic within osteoarchaeology due to systematic methodological, preservation, and societal biases leading to their lack of research interest and identification in the archaeological record. When old age is studied, the focus primarily lies on developing more accurate and precise age-at-death methodologies. This results in the loss of the lived experiences of the past elderly. Therefore, this thesis aims to reconstruct the social and osteological aspects of the ageing process in the post-medieval Netherlands using a multifactorial approach in an attempt to address this osteological age bias. This was done through second metacarpal radiogrammetry and the macroscopic analysis of two 19th-century Dutch skeletal assemblages from the Broerenkerk situated in the city of Zwolle (N = 40) and the Keyserkerk located in the urban village of Middenbeemster (N = 55). Specifically, old age was studied through the lens of five osteological markers: cortical bone loss, joint disease, oral health, immobility and disability, and elder abuse and neglect. Results reveal high prevalence rates of spinal and extra-spinal degenerative joint disease, ante-mortem tooth loss, and skeletal trauma as well as a decrease in bone quantity with advancing age in both collections. The gendered division of labour in the post-medieval Netherlands led older Zwolle and Middenbeemster men to be significantly more affected by degenerative spinal and extra-spinal joint disease than women, while post-menopausal hormonal changes caused ageing women to suffer unequally from age-related bone loss and related morbidity risk. Moreover, Middenbeemster older inhabitants suffered more from degenerative joint disease and skeletal trauma throughout their life course compared to the elderly population of urban Zwolle due to the mobile and physically demanding lifestyle of the rural Beemster Polder and associated occupational hazards. The established age-related functional regression would have progressively impacted the ability of the Zwolle and Middenbeemster population to be self-supporting and cause a shift in their social identity, leaving older individuals vulnerable to mistreatment. This is demonstrated in the identified indicators of elder abuse and neglect in both collections. Evidence for pressure sores was predominantly found on the ischial tuberosities suggesting that these immobile Zwolle and Middenbeemster elderly were chair-ridden. Still, the old age reached by some individuals, the difficulty in decubiti prevention, societal pressures to arrange care for dependant elderly family and community members, and access to retirement options for the very old in Zwolle and the Beemster indicate that a portion of the older demographic in Zwolle and Middenbeemster needed and were provided with proper long-term care and/or help with daily tasks. This thesis highlights the intricate and heterogeneous nature of the ageing body and demonstrates that the post-medieval ageing experience is highly influenced by sex, socioeconomic status, living environment, and cultural/societal values. Therefore, this research displays the value of studying the past elderly in specific archaeological contexts and emphasizes the need for a multifactorial and functional approach to old age.Show less

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The Invisible Elderly: The Social and Osteological Aspects of Growing Old in the Post-Medieval Netherlands