First glimpse of infectious diseases in medieval and early modern Estonia based on human osteological material

Abstract

This paper deals with infectious diseases reflected on human skeletal remains from the period of the Northern Crusades in Estonia, i.e. from the 13th until the end of the 18th century. Skeletons from the Medieval and Early Modern Periods are considered together, as most of the pathologies detected on them are characteristic of both periods. This article gives a preliminary overview of infectious diseases -leprosy, venereal syphilis and tuberculosis -in Estonian osteological material, based on bone material and also written sources.