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A very tall skeleton was found during archaeological excavations in the territory of Fidenae, an administrative centre of the Roman territorial organization, situated along the Via Salaria about 7 km north of Rome (Italy). The individual was a young male, dated back to the Imperial Age (3 rd century AD), presenting a very tall but normally proportioned stature, estimated around 202 cm. The long bones showed incomplete epiphyseal union; therefore, the stature would probably have been taller, if he had lived longer. In this work, the metric data are compared with those from the Roman Imperial Age population, and differential diagnosis is discussed.The skeletal evidence is characteristic of a form of gigantism, a rare growth disease that may be linked to different syndromes. The most common etiology is associated with a dysfunction of the pituitary gland, which causes overproduction of the growth hormone (hGH) during childhood. This endocrine disorder stimulates cartilaginous activity at the growth plate, delaying epiphyseal fusion and resulting in increased bone length.

Dental enamel hypoplasia, a deficit in enamel matrix formation, occurs in childhood and in utero as a result of survived nutritional deficiencies/diseases. Examination of hypoplastic lesions in ancient skeletal remains provides an excellent index of developmental stress levels in the past. In this research, linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) was detected to investigate the relation between social status, health, and nutritional conditions of the Romans during the Imperial Age. LEH was scored in 3,105 permanent teeth of 177 individuals found in two large necropolises in Rome (Italy), dating back to first to third centuries AD. Both sites are located near the ancient city centre, and the presence of different grave typologies, with monumental mausoleums and simple tombs, testifies the presence of stratified social classes. LEH was observed in the whole dentition. Statistically significant differences were found in all the parameters considered, mostly in anterior dentition. Frequencies of the teeth and of the individuals affected were higher in the lower than in the upper class, in both sexes and ages, whereas male/female or adult/subadult differences were not statistically significant. The mean number of events for individuals was also higher in the lower class.Chronological distribution of age at onset of the stressful events seems to be social status related.

This paper aims to define the dietary profile of the population of early medieval Rome (fifth-eleventh centuries CE) by carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. This period was characterized by deep changes in the city's economic, demographic, and social patterns, probably affecting its inhabitants' nutritional habits. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of bone collagen was used to detect the nutritional profile of 110 humans from six communities inhabiting the city center of Rome and one from the ancient city of Gabii. Thirteen faunal remains were also analyzed to define the ecological baseline of the medieval communities. The isotopic results are consistent with a diet mainly based on the exploitation of C 3 plant resources and terrestrial fauna, while the consumption of aquatic resources was detected only among the San Pancrazio population. Animal protein intake proved to be similar both among and within the communities, supporting a qualitatively homogenous dietary landscape in medieval Rome. The comparison with isotopic data from the Imperial Age allowed us to detect a diachronic nutritional transition in ancient Rome, in which the collapse of the Empire, and in particular the crisis of economic power and the trade system, represented a tipping point for its population's nutritional habits.

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