Abstract
This paper presents two cases of healed skull trauma recovered from medieval mass burial sites in Kutná Hora-Sedlec (Kutná Hora District/CZ). These recently unearthed burial pits are historically and contextually associated with two key catastrophes: (1) a famine in the early 14th century; and (2) the Black Death in the mid-14th century. The first skull presents evidence of survival from severe cranial injury with highly probable surgical intervention. The second one presents evidence of successful skull surgery, confirming the practice of trepanation performed by a skilled specialist in a given region at a given time in history. Although both individuals had been robust enough to withstand the pain and strain of the treatment, indicating considerable resilience to survive the skull trauma, they succumbed to mass infection or famine that killed a large number of inhabitants of this prominent medieval mining region.
Highlights
During the Middle Ages, Kutná Hora was the second most important municipality after Prague in the Czech Kingdom
This paper presents two cases of healed skull trauma recovered from medieval mass burial sites in Kutná Hora-Sedlec (Kutná Hora District/CZ)
Both individuals had been robust enough to withstand the pain and strain of the treatment, indicating considerable resilience to survive the skull trauma, they succumbed to mass infection or famine that killed a large number of inhabitants of this prominent medieval mining region
Summary
During the Middle Ages, Kutná Hora was the second most important municipality after Prague in the Czech Kingdom. When silver mining reached its peak in the middle of the 14th century, the town is thought to have numbered 18,000 inhabitants, with the specific features of a mining town inevitably reflected in its population development and social structure.[3] The most numerous population group was probably workers employed in the mines, foundries, ore washing, coal depots, and transport. Both male and female workers were employed in washing and sorting ore. The inhabitants of Kutná Hora lived in a rapidly evolving and prospering agglomeration, yet had to face all the negative aspects of intensive urbanisation, such as severe overcrowding, poor sanitation, parasitic infestations, elevated risk of HANA BRZOBOHATÁ, FILIP VELÍMSKÝ, JAN FROLÍK the location of the Kutná Hora-Sedlec Cemetery Church of All Saints with Ossuary (black arrow); and sites with the finds of the trepanned skulls mentioned in the text (black daggers)
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