Probable vestiges of metabolic diseases in Roman Imperial cremations from Northern Germany.

Abstract

In 2011, a cremation burial ground from the Roman Imperial Period (2nd - 3rd century CE) was detected at the site of Gessel (district of Diepholz) in Northern Germany. The anthropological investigation of 21 cremations from this burial ground revealed a total of 22 individuals: 10 adults of both sexes and 12 children of less than 7 years. All cremations were obviously carried out at high temperatures above 750 °C. Most of them were very well and representatively preserved, and not too fragmented. This excellent state of preservation offered us a unique chance to diagnose a variety of pathological conditions. In six cremations of subadult individuals, possible vestiges of metabolic diseases were observed. Evidence of traits such as cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis, as well as porous ventral surfaces of the femoral neck and the vertebral bodies was established in the cremations of five subadult individuals. Light microscopically, these traits could be identified as having resulted from bone marrow expansion, indicating anaemia as the probable cause. In two individuals, a layer-like structure of the skull vault was observed, which is often connected to rickets. Furthermore, in three subadult individuals demonstrating anaemic features of marrow expansion, additionally, fine porous new bone formations due to haemorrhages were observed in areas of mechanical load or mastication, possibly indicating scurvy. Against the background of the temporal and geographical context, different factors such as nutritional deficiencies, intestinal parasite or malaria infestations must be considered as possibly causative for the distinct skeletal vestiges of metabolic diseases. Furthermore, a connection between the three pathological conditions seems likely.