The Bioarchaeology of Roman Imperialism: A Case Study from the Danube Limes

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the physiological impact of Roman imperialism on subject populations. Additionally, it endeavours to determine whether any observable variations in the levels of physiological stress or lifeways of said populations can be attributed to specific social, political or economic systems installed by the Romans following their conquest.

To do so, two skeletal samples originating from eastern Austria - one La Tene and one Roman period - were analysed and skeletal metrics for physiological stress and biological standards of health were compared to identify whether significant differences between the groups were visible. Collectively, the La Tene and Roman samples provided 206 adequately preserved adults for analysis. Both samples were subjected to age at death and sex estimation, and Kaplan Meier survival analysis. Additionally, the presence, severity and activity of skeletal lesions were compared between the samples to explore possible differences in levels of physiological stress. Biological standards of living were between the skeletal trauma, femoral length, and osteoarthritis. Chi-squared analysis and ANOVA testing were then employed to detect whether significant differences in these metrics were observable between the samples. Kaplan Meier analysis was also used to determine whether the presence of specific skeletal lesions impacted frailty and survivorship between the groups. These methods were specifically chosen for their capacity to actively engage with some of the theoretical and interpretive issues highlighted by the Osteological Paradox, as well as for their ability to present a broad overview of physiological stress and biological standards of living in past populations. Comparisons were performed between the La Tene and Roman samples, and also on an intra-period level, and sex-based analyses were also conducted

Statistical testing revealed significant results across the different scales of analysis. In the diachronic comparison, there were significant differences in the sex ratios, age categories and survivorship of females between the La Tene and Roman periods. Additionally, the La Tene sample reported an increased susceptibility and level of frailty associated with cribrotic lesions, and a more cariogenic diet, while the Roman group reported evidence to indicate exposure to more frequent or severe levels of physiological stress, as well as generally more severe osteoarthritis. The comparison between the La Tene sites was more mixed with few distinct patterns perceptible in the results. However, contrary to the varied outcomes observed previously, a comparison of the Roman sites provided a unilateral and unambiguous set of results. The Albertina sample, corresponding to the Roman site of Vindobona (that is, present day Vienna), reported significantly lower levels of survivorship, and increased levels and severity of skeletal lesions than both of the other Roman skeletal populations.

The findings of this study were then compared with other investigations into the health impacts of Roman imperialism that have taken similar methodological approaches, and the mixed results of these investigations were discussed. In considering the results of other studies, discrepancies in health between the La Tene and Roman samples, and the apparent connection between increased urban density and decreased levels of health visible in the analysis of the Roman sites, this thesis proposes that the establishment of higher-density urban settlements in conquered regions where there were no similarly dense sites previously may have resulted in decreased levels of health for the inhabiting populations. In doing so, a connection between urbanisation and the health of human populations can be observed, which is immensely pertinent to the increasingly urbanising modern world. Show more