Demography and Health Status of Hellenistic People from Pergamon, Elaia and Aigai

In the NekroPergEol project, the skeletal remains of Hellenistic burials from all social strata were analysed. In total, 60 individuals were studied. Poor bone preservation made the project difficult. Radiocarbon dating gave important insights, indicating both older (classical) and more recent (Roman, Byzantine) burials, including the reuse of tombs. The (mostly) Hellenistic people from Pergamon, Elaia, and Aigai studied so far suffered from a wide range of diseases. The diseases observed were also present in Roman (Pergamon) and Byzantine (Pergamon, Aigai, Kyme) individuals. The high incidence of unspecific stress markers like enamel hypoplasia in élite burials indicates diseases in infancy and childhood, and possibly also the use of wet nurses. The presence of infections of the paranasal sinuses indicates poor heating during winter, and indoor air pollution. Stable isotope analyses revealed a higher protein intake in people buried in monumental tumuli, sarcophagi, and stone cists, than in individuals from other burial types.

In Appendix 1 the health status of individuals from different sites at Aigai is discussed. Appendix 2 presents inner sarcophagus and burial measurements as a tool for palaeodemography at Aigai.

Keywords:

anthropology, Asia Minor, Hellenism, paleodemography, paleopathology