Listening to the Kids: The Value of Childhood Palaeopathology for the Study of Rural Roman Britain

Abstract

Childhood palaeopathology remains an underutilised resource in the study of Roman Britain, particularly for exploring the lives of the rural population. Lesions in child skeletons provide unique insights into past lifeways and population health, as adverse environmental conditions translate more readily into the osteological record of these vulnerable members of society. To demonstrate the range of information gleaned from the children, 1,279 non-adults (0-17 years) from 26 first-to fifth-century urban and rural settlements were analysed, comparing morbidity and mortality in the most comprehensive study to date. The distribution of ages-atdeath suggests migration between country and town, the latter presenting a stressful and unsanitary environment. However, as demonstrated by high rates of metabolic disease and infections, life in the countryside was hampered by demanding physical labour and potentially oppressive conditions with restricted access to resources. stress; Roman rural settlement INTRUCTION: ROMANO-BRITISH CHILDHOODHuman skeletal remains present the most direct form of evidence for studying past populations. Numerous palaeopathological studies of Romano-British adults have provided insight into population health, diet and lifeways, albeit with a bias towards urban cemeteries. 1 More recently, several studies have reported on health in both urban and rural contexts, yet the children did not receive emphasis. 2 Roman archaeology is no different from other branches of the discipline in its research concerns, therefore the childhood experience has not yet fully evolved as a dedicated subject in Roman scholarship. While stable isotope analysis of Romano-British children has received considerable attention, 3 the actual health status of children remains relatively unexplored and a comprehensive picture of growing up in Roman Britain is still lacking. As children are growing, they reflect adverse environmental conditions more readily than their parents. 4 Child health is therefore a very powerful indicator of overall population health and dynamics, making non-adult (0-17 years) palaeopathology a primary source of evidence for past lifestyles and living environments.The osteological term 'non-adult' is not without problems but allows us to label, observe and discuss immature individuals in the past without involuntarily attaching social age norms. 5The cut-off age of 17 years is a product of the most accurate osteological ageing methods used and allows comparison between bioarchaeological datasets. Alongside age-at-death, a range of acquired conditions of ill-health can be observed in non-adult skeletons, which can provide information regarding cultural change, environmental pressures and life histories. The classical literature on Romano-British children is limited and, as so often in the study of Romano-British lifeways, we are forced to look to Rome for analogies and guidance. The classical literature, epigraphic and iconographic references provide a wealth of information on the Roman childhood experience...

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