Abstract
Studies aimed at considering the impact of industrialisation, urbanisation and modernisation on human health in 19th-century society are becoming increasingly relevant. Although it is exceptionally rare to encounter human skeletal material from the 19th century in present-day Lithuania, this study explores whether changes which occurred in that century had any impact on human health. This research presents the preliminary results of an anthropological analysis of the human remains discovered in Panevėžys Cemetery, with material spanning the 18th–19th centuries. In total, 90 individuals were examined, including 57 males, 15 females and 18 nonadult individuals. Fractures and nonspecific inflammatory lesions were the most prevalent pathological changes. However, the values of the average height of males and females did not reveal a significant change in stature. Overall, the results demonstrated inconsistent evidence of the effects of urbanisation on the skeletal population. It can be concluded that both the sample size and the observed pathologies represent only part of the community. Therefore, a more representative sample and additional analyses are required in the future, to provide comprehensive results and more solid conclusions.
Highlights
Any examination of 18th–19th centuries in the countries of Western Europe is inconceivable without considering the Industrial Revolution and its socio-economic effects
Lithuania was a predominantly agrarian society: the majority of Lithuanian people lived in rural areas and only a small part resided in towns and cities
The skeletal material for this period in Lithuania is scarce, some modest inferences can be drawn based on the results of the current study, considering the lifestyles and the possible new health hazards occurring in the 19th century
Summary
Any examination of 18th–19th centuries in the countries of Western Europe is inconceivable without considering the Industrial Revolution and its socio-economic effects. It has been assumed that the rapid process of urbanisation (the movement of people from rural areas into urban settings and the increasing population size within those areas) had a detrimental effect on human health. Lithuania was a predominantly agrarian society: the majority of Lithuanian people lived in rural areas and only a small part resided in towns and cities. The urbanisation process in the country was relatively slow. Life Across the River: Exploring the Impact of Urbanisation in 18th–19th Century Panevėžys impact on the Panevėžys population, and if it did, what were the differences and how the new lifestyle affected their everyday lives
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