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Health of infants in an Imperial Roman skeletal sample: perspective from dental microstructure

Charles FitzGerald1, Shelley Saunders, Luca Bondioli

  • 1Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L9, Canada. cfitzg@mcmaster.ca

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
|December 21, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This study analyzed microscopic enamel defects in Roman children

Area of Science:

  • Paleopathology
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Human Osteology

Background:

  • Assessing general health in past populations is crucial for understanding historical living conditions.
  • Microscopic enamel defects, such as Wilson bands, offer a precise method to evaluate early childhood health.
  • The Imperial Roman necropolis of Isola Sacra provides a unique dataset for this analysis.

Observation:

  • 274 deciduous teeth from 127 subadults (2nd-3rd century ACE) were analyzed for Wilson bands.
  • Microstructural enamel markers were used to precisely date Wilson band formation.
  • Maximum prevalence (MAP) and smoothed maximum prevalence (SMAP) distributions were calculated.

Findings:

  • Two distinct periods of high Wilson band prevalence were identified in Roman infants.
  • The first period of high prevalence occurred from 2 to 5 months of age.
  • A second, more significant period of high prevalence occurred from 6 to 9 months of age.

Implications:

  • These findings suggest critical periods of physiological stress during infancy in Roman childhood.
  • The study provides a realistic health risk profile for Roman children.
  • Results can inform our understanding of Roman childhood rearing practices and their impact on health.

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