Bones of Cambridge city's medieval residents tell stories of rough lives and social inequality.
Researchers studied hundreds of skeletons from different burial sites - a graveyard for working people, a hospital for the infirm and destitute, and a friary with wealthy donors and clergy.
The 10th to 14th century old remains show signs of skeletal trauma. This measures hardship levels endured in life. X-rays tell us that males had more fractures than females across all social classes. Working people had more fractures, compared to those in the hospital and friary. The former spent long working days doing heavy labour. But medieval life was tough. For example, researchers found violence-related skeletal injuries across both sexes and all social classes.
The work shows how different classes of medieval Cambridge experienced dangers of daily life. The university was just beginning around 1209, and Cambridge was home to artisans, merchants and farmhands.
Original article:
Inequality in medieval Cambridge was ‘recorded on the bones’ of its residents
Original study: