NEU-Med project. Two cases of disability in an equestrian context from a 10th century royal court in Tuscany (Italy)

Abstract

Excavation carried out at the cemetery of Vetricella and dated between the 10th-11th centuries CE, has returned a high percentage of traumatized individuals, including two polytraumatized male skeletons, one featuring a well-healed amputation of the right leg, the other a mended femoral diaphysis fracture. Evidence of a healed amputation, the result of surgical work or interpersonal violence, is a rare case in the archaeological record.The focus of this study is the nature of the recorded trauma, leading to observations on the effects of equestrian practice in an early medieval community, as well as survival and physical adaptation to new conditions, all of which have ultimately contributed towards the general interpretation of the archaeological context.Images from CT scanning, external diameters and the degree of osteoarthrosis were used to quantify asymmetry between the left and right skeletal elements, providing further evidence of post-traumatic conditions. The recording of an iron spike-ferrule from the same burial area, identified as the lower end of a staff, would provide material indications as to the use of walking aids associated with individuals marked by clear issues of mobility.