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The Backbone of Europe
  • Health, Diet, Work and Violence over Two Millennia
  • Edited by Richard H. Steckel, Clark Spencer Larsen, Charlotte A. Roberts, Joerg Baten
  • Published online:
    29 October 2018
    Print publication:
    15 November 2018
  • Using human skeletal remains, this volume traces health, workload and violence in the European population over the past 2,000 years. Health was surprisingly good for people who lived during the early Medieval Period. The Plague of Justinian of the sixth century was ultimately beneficial for health because the smaller population had relatively more resources that contributed to better living conditions. Increasing population density and inequality in the following centuries imposed an unhealthy diet - poor in protein - on the European population. With the onset of the Little Ice Age in the late Middle Ages, a further health decline ensued, which was not reversed until the nineteenth century. While some aspects of health declined, other attributes improved. During the early modern period, interpersonal violence (outside of warfare) declined possibly because stronger states and institutions were able to enforce compromise and cooperation. European health over the past two millennia was hence multifaceted in nature.

Bioarchaeology
  • Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton
  • 2nd edition
  • Clark Spencer Larsen
  • Published online:
    05 April 2015
    Print publication:
    30 March 2015
  • Now including numerous full colour figures, this updated and revised edition of Larsen's classic text provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of bioarchaeology. Reflecting the enormous advances made in the field over the past twenty years, the author examines how this discipline has matured and evolved in fundamental ways. Jargon free and richly illustrated, the text is accompanied by copious case studies and references to underscore the central role that human remains play in the interpretation of life events and conditions of past and modern cultures. From the origins and spread of infectious disease to the consequences of decisions made by humans with regard to the kinds of foods produced, and their nutritional, health and behavioral outcomes. With local, regional, and global perspectives, this up-to-date text provides a solid foundation for all those working in the field.

  • 4 - Injury and violence

  • Clark Spencer Larsen, Ohio State University
  • Book:
    Bioarchaeology
    Published online:
    05 April 2015
    Print publication:
    30 March 2015, pp 115-177

  • Summary

    Introduction

    Human skeletal remains from archaeological contexts provide a rich and diverse record of past behavior, reflecting the wide array of circumstances – ecological, cultural, social, economic, and political – that put a society and its members at risk of injury and death, resulting from either accident or violence. Many injuries are not identifiable in human skeletons, especially those that are limited to soft tissues. Moreover, accidental death is virtually invisible in the archaeological record except under very special circumstances, such as in building collapse or natural disasters (Cicchitti, 1993; Deiss, 1989; Palkovich, 1980; Sakellarakis & Sapouna-Sakellaraki, 1991). Violent death is often invisible in the study of skeletal remains, except in instances when bone is directly damaged and shows no evidence of healing, such as by gunshot or a sharp-edged weapon.

    Despite these limitations, osteological remains are a highly useful index for assessing outcomes relating to unintentional (accidental) and intentional, malevolent (violent) injury in a remarkable variety of contexts around the world (Arkush & Tung, 2013; Courville, 1962; Domett et al., 2011; Jimenez, 1994; Judd & Redfern, 2012; Knowles, 1983; Knüsel & Smith, 2014; Lambert, 2007, 2014; Lovell, 2008; Martin & Anderson, 2014; Martin & Frayer, 1997; Martin et al., 2012; Merbs, 1989a; Ortner, 2003; Robbins Schug et al., 2012; Roberts & Manchester, 2005; Schulting & Fibiger, 2012; Šlaus et al., 2012; Tung, 2012a, 2012b; Walker, 2001a; Webb, 1995). This applies especially because skeletal injuries provide a snapshot of a person’s lived experience at that particular moment when s/he sustained the injury, often resulting in death.

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