The bioarchaeological reconstruction of the population from Santa Cristina in Caio (Siena, Italy 6th-7th centuries CE).

Abstract

The present research analyzes the human skeletal remains from Santa Cristina in Caio (Siena, Italy) aiming at reconstructing the demography, and the musculoskeletal stress markers of this Early Medieval Italian population. The cemetery area was recovered during excavation campaigns carried out by the University of Siena between 2013 and 2015 and unearthed 53 individuals dating back to the 6th-7th centuries CE. The analyzed sample counts 49 individuals: 1 juvenile and 48 adults. Sex-ratio (M:F = 0.95) revealed a slightly higher percentage of females. Both sexes, reached old age so they probably experienced similar life conditions, this is supported by archaeological data that tend to exclude the existence of a class structure within the society. Females show a higher mortality in the young adult age class (19-30 years) probably as a consequence of short-term pregnancies and childbirth. Post-cranial indices and musculoskeletal stress markers revealed a strength physical constitution highlighting statistically significant differences in the degree of biomechanical load the two sexes were subjected to. The goal of the present research was to present the composition of an Early Medieval population from Central Italy that could represent an important tile for understanding the dynamics of a complex historical period.