The aim of this thesis is to study the prevalence of tobacco pipe smoking habits among individuals from post-medieval North-Western European societies. This was researched by comparing the...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to study the prevalence of tobacco pipe smoking habits among individuals from post-medieval North-Western European societies. This was researched by comparing the prevalence of pipe notches among the post-medieval populations of Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The results of the osteological analysis of human remains excavated from eight cemeteries are used: for Great Britain, the cemetery used by a low-status population of London buried in the cemetery of St. Mary and St. Michael Church, and the cemetery used by the high and low socioeconomic status population in Birmingham; for Ireland, a cemetery of Kilkenny Union Workhouse used by people from middle and low socioeconomic groups and cemetery on Spike Island used for people from low socioeconomic strata; for the Netherlands, the cemetery of the Grote Kerk in Alkmaar used by citizens with high socioeconomic status and cemetery of the Grote Kerk in Den Haag used by low socioeconomic status citizens; for Belgium, the cemetery of St. Rombout Churchyard in Mechelen used by people with high and low socioeconomic backgrounds and the cemetery in Kruishoutem used by representatives of middle and low socioeconomic groups. The collection of representatives of different socioeconomic groups from various cultural communities is compared to each other for the estimation of the cultural, demographic, and socioeconomic trends in the habit of tobacco pipe smoking in post-medieval North-Western Europe. These populations were divided into two age groups and three sex groups for the statistical analysis. The results demonstrate that pipe smoking was most common among low-status male individuals from three North-Western European regions: Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium. In the Netherlands, a high prevalence of pipe notches is recorded among adult male representatives of high socioeconomic strata. Moreover, a significantly higher prevalence of pipe notches and, thus, the expected regular practice of pipe smoking is recorded in post-medieval Ireland. The estimated rates from Great Britain and the Netherlands are lower but also substantially higher than the prevalence recorded for post-medieval Belgium. These differences can be explained by the historical and cultural specificities of the regions. Therefore, these results further support the theory that social, economic, and cultural factors had a major influence on the Cross-European spread and subsequent integration of the tobacco pipe smoking tradition into North-Western European countries.Show less
