This research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress...Show moreThis research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress affected individuals from different sexes, age categories, and status. To understand this, three methods were used: linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis. In total, 84 skeletons were analysed. The populations have been analysed with each other as well as on their own. The methods have been compared to each other to understand whether they might relate to each other and whether it was likely that they occurred within a skeleton simultaneously. Results showed that there was no statistical significance within or between the sex and age-at-death categories within and between the populations, except for the cribra orbitalia results between the population of the Eusebiuskerk and the Broerenkerk. This has been linked to status: the population buried in the Broerenkerk was of a higher status than the population of the Eusebiuskerk. Although they were likely not extremely rich, as illustrated by the job names presented on the covering slabs, they likely had better access to food. The population of the Eusebiuskerk was likely to be of a very poor status due to trade tokens found with the individuals and because they were buried in the northern church grounds. The fact that the individuals from Zwolle showed less linear enamel hypoplasia might be the result of them experiencing less long term stress. Poor individuals lived close together in guesthouses, which means that illnesses could spread faster. So, it is clear that stress affected statuses differently, and that individuals from Arnhem were more fragile as a result. Yet, care must be taken as limitations are present.Show less
As far as bioarchaeological and historical sources can witness, respiratory diseases have affected humankind throughout history and still represent one of the most common causes of morbidity and...Show moreAs far as bioarchaeological and historical sources can witness, respiratory diseases have affected humankind throughout history and still represent one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality nowadays. Nonetheless, palaeopathologists and bioarchaeologists in general seem to not have developed any interest in the topic, which at present remains unrepresented in the bioarchaeological literature. Clinical research on respiratory diseases has highlighted a link between poor air quality and the prevalence of chronic maxillary sinusitis, especially in developing countries where biomass fuels are employed in daily activities such as cooking and heating without a proper ventilation. Since historical sources suggest that respiratory diseases were equally affecting people in the past as they are in the present, if air quality is to be considered a significant triggering agent, it makes sense to expect the highest rates of chronic maxillary sinusitis in populations exposed to consistent concentrations of air pollutants, rather than on populations living in open spaces such as the countryside. This study considers two populations from Post-Medieval the Netherlands, each one representative of a low-class rural and urban environments respectively. A total of 105 individuals were examined in this study. 50 (47.6%) of the examined individuals showed signs of sinusitis in one or both maxillary sinuses. Even if a significant prevalence was found in the urban context (56.9% versus the 38.9% recorded in the rural population), the initial hypothesis was nevertheless questioned by the consideration of several factors which may have increased the chances of developing sinusitis in the past but that are no longer observable on the skeleton. Some of those are allergic reactions and localised inflammations of the respiratory tract. As these are no longer observable on skeletal remains and therefore are barely mentioned in bioarchaeological literature, the conclusions of this thesis encouraged future research to focus on respiratory diseases as their aetiologies are more complex than it was assumed in previous studies.Show less
