Paleopathology and Nutritional Analysis of a South German Monastery Population

Abstract

The monastery of Attel, Upper Bavaria, which was founded in AD 1030, harbours a series of crypt burials from the time period between AD 1700 and 1750. Due to a restoration of the church, 16 crypts had to be removed and were subjected to an extensive anthropological-paleopathological and isotope analysis. The 16 crypts contained 19 burials in open wooden coffins. All bodies were covered by an extensive layer of calcium carbonate. Despite this “treatment,” bone and teeth were excellently preserved (mean degree of conservation > 75%, completeness > 85%). The anthropological investigation revealed a mean age of 38.5 years and a body height of 1.71 m. Paleopathologically, a surprisingly high rate of trauma was seen (13 injuries in 7 different individuals, i.e., 36.8% of individuals affected), 2 cases presented signs of extensive arthritis urica (gout), and several monks were affected by arthrosis of shoulder and knee joints. Extensive dental attrition, numerous foci of dental caries, and dentogenic abscesses coincided with considerable dental calculus indicating poor oral hygienic conditions. Stable isotope analysis showed adequate mixed carnivore-herbivore nutrition, comparable to that of contemporaneous upper class individuals. This extensive combined analysis provides considerable insight into the nutrition and disease pattern of a middle-class monastery of early 18th century South Germany.

The Sommersdorf mummies—An interdisciplinary investigation on human remains from a 17th-19th century aristocratic crypt in southern Germany

“…Body height can be used as a proxy for nutrition and health during adolescence even though the basic range largely depends on genetics. With an average stature of 169.3 cm for males (n = 3) and 163.4 cm for females (n = 5), the Sommersdorf individuals fit very well into the frame given by larger medieval and post-medieval series in Bavaria [ 92 – 96 ] ( Table 5 ). Due to the estimation of body height using the femur, the male individuals from Sommersdorf seem to be smaller than the Bavarian average while the female individuals are taller.…”

Metastatic Prostate Carcinoma in an Early 18th Century South German Abbot—Interdisciplinary Research Reveals Clues to His Final Disease History

“…Besides the multiple metastases and the tooth loss, this investigation showed only a few additional disorders; most cases of intra vitam tooth loss in historic populations is due to poor dental health e.g. extensive chronic periodontitis or lack of dental hygiene [11], but remains unproven in this case.…”

“…Otherwise, during the first decades of his life, he did not suffer from obvious major disorder, at least that manifested in his skeleton, except for the complete loss of teeth of the maxilla and several teeth of the mandible. This, however, was quite a frequent occurrence in advanced aged individuals at this time and included monastic communities, probably due to poor dental health care and lack of oral hygiene [11]. Beyond this, his most important health problem was the development of prostatic cancer which may have affected him symptomatically in his very final years or even only for his final months of life.…”

“…This covers 42 regions of the human skeleton and evaluates the presence of the respective skeletal material (0 -42 points) and the condition of the bone (0 -max. 126 points) with low figures indicating an absent or very fragmented skeleton and extremely poorly conserved bone matrix respectively [11]. In contrast, high figures indicate the presence of all/most skeletal elements and good/excellent bone preservation respectively.…”

Nikolaus Rungius: Lifestyle and Status of an Early Seventeenth-Century Northern Finnish Vicar

“…A study of remains of 18th-century inhabitants of a central European monastery (who would also have enjoyed high rank and status) found that they had an osteologically estimated mean stature of ca. 171 cm (5.61 ft.), while their local contemporaries averaged 162-165 cm (5.31-5.41 ft.) (Nerlich et al 2015). In contrast, a typical, well-nourished Finnish man today has an average height of 180.7 cm (5.93 ft.) (Saari et al 2011).…”