Skeletal trauma in the burials from the royal church of St. Mary in medieval Oslo

Brødholt, Elin Therese; Holck, Per

doi:10.1002/oa.1198

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Brødholt and Holck, 2012;Facchini et al, 2008;Ingelmark, 1939;Novak, 2007aNovak, or 2007b. The perforations on crania observed at Wisby by Ingelmark (1939) bear a strong resemblance to the experimental bodkin lesions, although some of these are more lozengeshaped than square.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting to the point: An experimental approach to improving the identification of penetrating projectile trauma to bone caused by medieval arrows

Forsom

Smith

2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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The bow and arrow were an important part of medieval warfare, and the study of projectile injuries in skeletal assemblages has the potential to give valuable insight into the nature of conflict in this period. Projectile injuries are often overlooked in favour of sharp force trauma, and as of yet there have been no experiments looking at skeletal trauma caused by different types of medieval arrows, although several studies have examined prehistoric impact marks. The current study addresses this deficiency by examining the lesions left by three kinds of medieval arrowheads: leaf-shaped broadheads, armour-piercing bodkins, and barbed hunting broadheads,when fired from a longbow into cattle scapulae. The results show that the vast majority of impacts are puncture lesions with shapes that roughly conform to the cross-section of the heads used, and many of the defects perforate the bone entirely and have internal bevelling. Based mostly on wound shape, it is relatively straightforward to distinguish between bodkin and broadhead punctures, while the different types of broadheads leave more similar, yet distinctive, marks. Further experiments are required in order to assess the extent to which it is possible to distinguish between projectile trauma and penetrating trauma made by other types of medieval weapons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting to the point: An experimental approach to improving the identification of penetrating projectile trauma to bone caused by medieval arrows

Forsom

Smith

2017

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

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“…The injuries are produced by a mix of objects as indicated by the presence of sharp, pointed and blunt force trauma. In other samples, the men from Royal Church (Oslo) had majority of post‐cranial lesions on the tibiae (Brødholt & Holck, ); in the Wisby sample, the percentage is about 60% for post‐cranial lesions (Ingelmark, ); at Sandbjerg, there are 63 lesions on the post‐cranial bones (Bennike, ); in 70 men from Čepin, 16 post‐cranial injuries were observed mainly on tibiae (Šlaus et al ., ); in Townton, most of the wounds are located on the arms/hands and were caused by a sharp force (Novak, ); and in the Uppsala collection, there are only 11 post‐cranial wounds recorded (Kjellström, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Projectile trauma left traces similar in shape and dimension to the objects discovered among the bones (cf. Novak, ; Brødholt & Holck, ). Based on Lewis' () criteria, the identification of the causative implements of the cut marks used length , shape , flaking , feathering , cracking , breakage , shards and aspect (Lewis ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fighting to the Death: Weapon Injuries in a Mass Grave (16th–17th Century) from Bucharest, Romania

Constantinescu

Gavrilă²,

Greer

et al. 2015

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Archaeological excavations carried out in 1972 and 2010-2011 in the University Square, Bucharest, Romania, brought to light 688 graves belonging to the Saint Sava Church Cemetery, dating between the middle of the 16th century and middle of the 19th century. At 35 metres from the western boundary of the cemetery, a mass grave containing three adult male skeletons was unearthed. The unusual position of the skeletons and the high incidence of traumatic injuries on the bones posed several questions concerning the historical and archaeological context of this grave. Osteological analysis of the skeletons revealed that all three individuals exhibited a series of occupational stress markers, indicating similar activities and associated with moderate physical activity during life. A total number of 24 perimortem lesions (caused mainly by sabres but also by blunt objects and projectiles) were recorded on the skeletal remains. The high percentage of cranial injuries may indicate that the head was the main target, demonstrating the intention to incapacitate the victims quickly and being different from those connected to executions in the period. Eight of these lesions were produced by sharp objects similar to sabres used by professional soldiers during the 16th-17th century in southeastern Europe. The osteological profile of the individuals and the injuries they sustained suggest that the victims had a military background and were probably killed at the end of the 16th century during a violent dispute.

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“…But, research into medieval war graves depicts a much different injury pattern, with the head being the main target (Novak, ). While in many of these studies the individuals were not of very high status, the injuries found on the skeleton of Richard III and individuals buried in the Oslo cathedral suggest that those of high status were not exempt from serious injuries during battle or its aftermath, even with the apparent protection of armour (Appleby et al ., In press; Brødholt & Holck, ). However, the aforementioned studies were focused on individuals who died in battle, and it could be that the rib fractures seen here are the result of non‐fatal battle wounds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Violence‐Related Trauma from the Cistercian Abbey of St Mary Graces and a Late Black Death Cemetery

Krakowka

2015

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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The skeletal assemblage excavated from the precinct of St Mary Graces in London (part of the MIN86 collection curated at the Museum of London) is composed of two separate burial populations: the abbey burials, both intra-and extramural, and the western cemetery, which was a burial ground for victims of the later waves of the Black Death. Representing both ends of the social status spectrum, these two cemeteries offer a unique look at the patterns and prevalence of violence in a small cross section of the medieval London population. The lower status males from the western cemetery presented with a large number of skull fractures, indicating a high level of violence. The high-status individuals buried within the abbey were not immune from violence-related trauma. They presented with a large number of rib fractures, possibly a result of combat or combat practice as many of these individuals were knights and lords.

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Skeletal trauma in the burials from the royal church of St. Mary in medieval Oslo

Cited by 19 publications

References 16 publications

Getting to the point: An experimental approach to improving the identification of penetrating projectile trauma to bone caused by medieval arrows

Getting to the point: An experimental approach to improving the identification of penetrating projectile trauma to bone caused by medieval arrows

Fighting to the Death: Weapon Injuries in a Mass Grave (16th–17th Century) from Bucharest, Romania

Violence‐Related Trauma from the Cistercian Abbey of St Mary Graces and a Late Black Death Cemetery

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