Int J Paleopathol. 2025 May 27;50:1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.001. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between patterns of violence-related trauma and social, chronological, and demographic variables using skeletal remains from historical Prague.
MATERIALS: 300 human skulls of adults from nine medieval cemeteries divided into three periods: Early Middle Ages (800-1200), High Middle Ages (1200-1500), and Modern Period (1500-1800).
METHODS: All bones were examined macroscopically for trauma (timing, location, type of trauma). We adapted the criteria outlined in the Istanbul Protocol for the identification of violence-related trauma. We used binary logistic regression to assess the trauma frequency.
RESULTS: The analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between patterns of violence-related trauma and the examined parameters. This lack of variation across socio-demographic predictors may reflect methodological limitations or cultural preference in choosing how to bury the deceased, but it could also suggest that violence impacted individuals across all groups indiscriminately.
CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of violent trauma on human bones in historical Prague is similar to other parts of medieval Europe. The absence of a difference in the prevalence of violence-related trauma between subgroups may indicate cultural and methodological bias.
SIGNIFICANCE: This research provides new insights into the bioarchaeology of violence in historical Prague and illuminates a hitherto understudied chapter of history.
LIMITATIONS: The study is limited to the territory of the capital and focuses exclusively on cranial remains.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: In the future, comparative research could also be conducted comparing Prague burial sites with those found in significant urban centres in the Czech lands.
PMID:40440928 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijpp.2025.05.001
