Roman Osteology Database - Two Cemeteries from Imperial Rome

This database represents a collection of osteological and biochemical information from two Imperial-era skeletal collections (Casal Bertone and Castellaccio Europarco) from Rome. Data collection was accomplished between 2007-2009.

In the database, you will find basic demographic information (age and sex), an inventory of each skeleton, measurements, skeletal pathology data, records of teeth examined and their pathological conditions, and results of all biochemical analyses undertaken to date (C, N, O, Sr, Pb isotopes; Pb and Sr concentration). No information on the archaeological context of the skeletons (e.g., provenience, grave goods, etc.) is included in this database, as that information is the purview of the Archaeological Superintendency of Rome.

I'm suggesting a CC BY-NC-SA license for these data -- that is, feel free to use the data as you see fit for your academic publications; I just ask that you credit me appropriately. For a synthesis of data from different sites, citation is fine. If you're interested in analyzing unpublished data, like dental pathology, I would appreciate co-authorship.

To find my own analyses and interpretations, or to get additional context, please see the relevant publications at the link below. If you don't have access to them, I will gladly send you a copy of anything published or under review.

I have photographs of skeletons and pathologies that you can request if needed.

Don't hesitate to contact me for more information, to ask about research that's been done with these collections, or to suggest a paper that we could collaborate on - killgrove @ uwf . edu.

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Publications from these data:

[Pathology Data]

Killgrove, K. In press. Imperialism and physiological stress in Rome (1st-3rd centuries AD). In: Bioarchaeology of Contact, Colonialism, and Imperialism, H. Klaus and M. Murphy, eds. University Press of Florida.

[Stature Data]

Killgrove, K. In press. Using skeletal remains as a proxy for Roman health: the potential and problems with palaeopathology, biochemistry, and postcranial morphology. In: Diet and Nutrition in the Roman World, C. Holleran and P. Erdkamp, eds. Routledge.

[Sr and O Data]

Killgrove, K. and J. Montgomery. 2016. All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD). PLOS One 11(2): e0147585. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0147585.

Killgrove, K. 2013. Biohistory of the Roman Republic: the potential of isotope analysis of human skeletal remains. Post-Classical Archaeologies 3: 41-62.

Killgrove, K. 2010. Identifying immigrants to Imperial Rome using strontium isotope analysis. In Roman Diasporas: Archaeological Approaches to Mobility and Diversity in the Roman Empire, H. Eckardt, ed. Journal of Roman Archaeology supplement 78, Chapter 9, pp. 157-174.

Killgrove, K. 2010. Migration and Mobility in Imperial Rome. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina. [Also includes relevant bibliography on the archaeological context of the cemeteries.]

[C and N Data]

Killgrove, K. and R.H. Tykot. 2013. Food for Rome: a stable isotope investigation of diet in the Imperial period (1st-3rd centuries AD). Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32(1): 28-38. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2012.08.002.

[Pb Data]

Montgomery, J., J. Evans, S. Chenery, V. Pashley, K. Killgrove. 2010. “Gleaming, white and deadly”: lead exposure and geographic origins in the Roman period. In Roman Diasporas: Archaeological Approaches to Mobility and Diversity in the Roman Empire, H. Eckardt, ed. Journal of Roman Archaeology supplement 78, Chapter 11, pp. 199-226.

[Nonmetric Trait Data]

Killgrove, K. Submitted. Using biological distance techniques to investigate the heterogeneous population of Imperial Rome. Manuscript submitted for edited volume, The Archaeology of Circulation, Exchange, and Human Migration, D. Peterson and J. Dudgeon, eds.

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Questions should be directed to me at killgrove@uwf.edu.