This paper presents the first bioarchaeological study of Islamic diet and lifeways in medieval Portugal. Stable isotopes of δ 13 C and δ 15 N and osteological and paleopathological analyses are combined to explore the diet and health status of 27 humans buried within São Jorge Castle, Lisbon (eleventh to twelfth century), interpreted as a high status population. Human isotopic data are considered alongside an animal baseline comprised of 30 specimens sampled from nearby Praça da Figueira, including the main domesticates and fish. Isotopic data indicate an age-and sex-related difference in diet among the population, suggesting a difference in food access between females and children compared to males. Palaeopathological analysis indicates a low prevalence of non-specific stress indicators such as Harris lines (HL), linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) and cribra orbitalia (CO) in this population in comparison to other medieval populations. LEH is only present in adults. These results suggest the presence of socio-cultural patterning relating to the organisation of the Islamic family, where women and men occupied different places in the household and society. This paper demonstrates the utility of a combined osteological and isotopic approach to understand the lifeways of Islamic populations in Medieval Iberia, as well as illuminates the lifeways of understudied segments of the population.

Syphilis is one of the most exciting diseases explored in paleopathology and, therefore, tracing back its origin and development has provided a prolific debate. The combination of paleopathological data with historical sources, iconography, and archaeological contexts were the primary sources used to reconstruct its historical path. However, there are some limitations to paleopathological diagnosis due to the nature of bone reaction to stimuli. In addition, historical sources are subjected to a bias of social and cultural nature and the knowledge of those who wrote them. Hence, ancient DNA analysis offers the possibility of acquiring proof of cause by identifying pathogens in an organism. We undertook a metagenomic study of a skeleton exhumed from the Royal Hospital of All Saints (Portugal), renowned for treating syphilis from the 16th century onwards. The skeleton had previously been diagnosed with syphilis according to paleopathological analysis. However, the metagenomics analysis showed no presence of the pathogen associated with syphilis (i.e., Treponema pallidum) but revealed pathogenic microorganisms related to respiratory diseases (pneumonia), nonspecific bone infections (osteomyelitis), and oral bacterial pathologies as well as Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy). The results are exciting and demand a reappraisal of the observed bone changes, recontextualizing their characterization as syphilis related. They prove that past reconstruction of health and disease diagnoses based on assessing human osteological remains of known context (such as a syphilitic hospital) may bias interpretations and, therefore, caution is recommended, not forgetting that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence (in this case of syphilis) in life.

The archaeological intervention of Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, in Lisbon, revealed an extensive diachrony, with archaeological findings dating chronologically between the Late Bronze Age and the Contemporary Period. The findings associated with the use of the space as a funerary site, during the Roman Imperial Period deserve special attention. The area, taking advantage of an old and small natural platform located in the foothills of the Encosta de Sant´Ana, was certainly close to Olisipo’s “Via Norte”, the main axis of the city’s land communications, integrating for this reason the so-called “Necropolis NO”. This paper presents the funerary context, articulating the contextual, artefactual and bioanthropological data, aiming at a comprehensive interpretation of this burial ground.

Fundado em 1492, o Hospital Real de Todos-os-Santos revelou-se paradigmático em Portugal no que à assistência diz respeito. Inovador nos mais diversos campos merece especial atenção a inspiração arquitetónica renascentista, que se traduziu em novos hábitos no quotidiano hospitalar. De planta cruciforme e integrando quatro pátios, a água esteve presente através de, pelo menos, quatro estruturas hidráulicas/poços, cada uma afecta a um claustro e, consequentemente, às suas dependências térreas, no decorrer dos quase três séculos de funcionamento deste grande complexo público. Este texto analisa as estruturas hidráulicas do Hospital Real de Todos-os-Santos descobertas aquando das intervenções arqueológicas na Praça da Figueira na década de 60 e em 1999-2001, integradas nos vários momentos de reformulação arquitetónica do edifício, estudados no âmbito do projeto «Hospital Real de Todos-os-Santos: a Cidade e a Saúde». Além de elemento vital para o seu funcionamento, estas estruturas são um espelho de hábitos e atribuições funcionais dos espaços envolventes.