-
Disabled individuals in a Belgian medieval Cistercian monastic community: a palaeopathological perspective.
-
Throughout human history, disabilities and impairments have been an inherent aspect of societies, deeply influenced by cultural contexts and by the diverse forms they manifest. Some of the physical and/or mental impairments leave skeletal traces detectable by palaeopathologists. This study presents notable cases of important disorders, such as disproportionate dwarfism, bilateral calcaneus varus (clubfoot) with evidence of crutch use and cerebral palsy. All these pathological individuals were buried in the Cistercian Abbey of the Dunes in Koksijde (Belgium), which was most active between the 12th and 15th centuries. Their grave locations are diverse, ranging from the cloister to the lay brother cemetery. There was no detected difference in their funerary treatment, except one “adapted” burial caused by a physical deformity resulting from cerebral palsy. Most of the identified pathologies are profoundly disabling, with many being congenital and detectable either at birth or during early childhood. Yet all cases presented in this study reached adulthood, with some even surviving into advanced age (over 60 years), suggesting that they received care and support from a young age. Possible health challenge encountered, as well as the nature of the assistance received will be discussed. The prevalence of disabilities within this monastic community raises questions about the social consequences of visible congenital anomalies. Were these individuals placed in a religious institution due to their disabilities, or did they choose monastic life for other reasons, as it might have offered opportunities to develop talents that did not rely on physical abilities? Interestingly, historical texts provide no specific mention of disabled individuals within the context of this abbey, making it challenging to determine whether they were fully integrated into the monastic community or were laypersons and/or benefactors.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
L’alimentation des anciens habitants de l’île de Pâques.
-
Comment vivaient les Rapanui, les anciens habitants de l’île de Pâques, il y a plusieurs siècles ? Et surtout, que mangeaient-ils ? Pour le savoir, les anthropologues se penchent sur une source d’information directe et inestimable : les restes humains et plus précisément les os et les dents. Mais leurs investigations ne s’arrêtent pas là. Ils cherchent aussi à comprendre comment des facteurs comme le sexe, l’âge ou le statut social pouvaient influencer l’accès aux différentes ressources alimentaires
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Étude des pathologies bucco-dentaires dans trois populations mérovingiennes de Belgique
-
Notre étude porte sur les pathologies bucco-dentaires de trois sites mérovingiens de Belgique (Ciply, Braives et Torgny) : plus particulièrement les caries, les abcès et les pertes ante-mortem (PAM). Nous analysons l’impact de diverses variables, telles que le site archéologique, le type de dent, le sexe et l’âge au décès sur la fréquence de ces trois pathologies. Avec un total de 4599 dents étudiées pour un effectif de 423 individus, nos résultats montrent que le nombre de dents conservées varie significativement selon le site d’origine, suggérant que celui-ci exerce une influence notable sur l’état de conservation des squelettes. Nos données montrent que la présence de caries et d’abcès dépend aussi du site. Ainsi, 63 % des Mérovingiens souffraient de caries, avec les plus fortes prévalences à Braives, tandis que l’abcès est présent chez 23 % des sujets avec une fréquence plus élevée à Ciply. Par contre, le nombre de PAM, qui touchait 65 % des individus, ne varie pas selon le site. La combinaison de plusieurs pathologies est observée chez 12 % des individus, avec des taux plus élevés à Ciply et Braives. Pour les trois pathologies, les dents les plus atteintes sont les molaires et, en ce qui concerne les caries, on observe un taux légèrement plus haut du côté droit, laissant penser à une préférence de côté pour la mastication. Concernant l’impact du sexe, les hommes montrent une prédominance de PAM et de caries par rapport aux femmes, mais celles-ci ont une fréquence légèrement plus élevée d’abcès. Comme attendu, les pourcentages de PAM et de caries augmentent avec l’âge chez les adultes. Notre étude révèle que les prévalences des pathologies bucco-dentaires sont influencées par tous les facteurs envisagés. Des inégalités de régime alimentaire et d’hygiène bucco-dentaire pourraient expliquer les différences liées au sexe et à la localisation géographique.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Un pigment noir aux grottes de Goyet (Mozet, Gesves, BE) similaire au noir de la grotte Scladina (Scladina, Andenne, BE).
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Le nain et l’estropié de naissance, deux individus « hors normes » inhumés dans le cimetière médiéval de l’abbaye des Dunes de Coxyde.
-
Depending on the form it can take, disability is perceived differently by societies. Adequate care tailored to the severity of impairments sometimes determines the survival of disabled individuals. Some of these pathologies leave traces on the skeleton which can be detected by palaeopathologists. We present two “non-conforming” medieval individuals who must have stood out among their contemporaries. They were buried in the cistercian abbey of the Dunes at Coxyde (West Flanders), active mainly from the 12th to the 15th century. The first individual, suffering from disproportionate dwarfism with a normal-sized trunk and short limbs, lived for about forty years before being buried north of the abbey church. The second had a congenital bilateral calcaneus varus foot deformity, along with other serious pathologies indicating a persistence of mobility conditioned by the use of crutches. He passed away after 50 years and was buried in the cloister. If they had not been members of a monastic community or benefactors, would these subjects have had the same quality of life? Beyond the absence of difference in their funerary treatment, the care provided to these particular individuals testifies to their inclusion in medieval society and redefines our perception of their position in past communities. Selon les formes qu’il peut prendre, le handicap est perçu de manière variable par les sociétés. Une prise en charge adaptée à la sévérité des atteintes conditionne parfois la survie de sujets infirmes. Certaines de ces pathologies laissent des traces sur le squelette et peuvent ainsi être détectées par les paléopathologistes. Nous présentons deux individus médiévaux « hors normes » qui ont dû marquer leurs contemporains. Ils ont été inhumés au sein de l’abbaye cistercienne des Dunes de Coxyde (Flandre occidentale), en activité principalement du xiie au xve siècle. Le premier individu, qui souffrait de nanisme disproportionnel avec un tronc de taille normale et des membres courts, a vécu une quarantaine d’années avant d’être enterré au nord de l’église abbatiale. Le second était atteint d’un pied calcaneus varus congénital bilatéral ainsi que d’autres pathologies lourdes qui indiquent une persistance de sa mobilité conditionnée par l’utilisation de béquilles. Il est décédé après 50 ans et fut inhumé dans le cloître. S’ils n’avaient pas été membres d’une communauté monastique ou issus de classes sociales favorisées, ces sujets auraient-ils eu le même parcours de vie ? Au-delà de l’absence de différence de traitement funéraire, la prise en charge de ces individus particuliers témoigne de leur inclusion dans la société médiévale et redéfinit notre vision de leur place dans les communautés du passé.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
BASE – BAsicranial Sex Estimation: An R package for sexing adult western European individuals from the cranial base morphometry in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology
-
Sexing an adult human skeleton from its fragmented remains is a tremendous challenge in both archaeological and forensic contexts. Although reliable sex estimation methods using the os coxae do exist, as well as the possibility of performing a secondary sexual diagnosis within a funerary assemblage, it is essential in the case of fragmented individuals to set up an alternative sex estimation method based on a skeletal element that is both sexually dimorphic and has a high taphonomic survival rate. This study investigated the sexual dimorphism of the cranial base (occipital and temporal bones), through an exclusively metric approach, in 537 identified western European adults. Using logistic regressions, thirteen predictive models were built up, which yielded up to 86.8% accuracy after cross-validation and with a decision threshold of 0.70. BASE is an R package with a graphic user interface that can be used to apply these predictive models to a target adult individual (https://archive.softwareheritage.org/browse/directory/5e3e3753e1f9c360b0ddbebaa2d2b42e5d7686d9). This paper provides measurement definitions, practical details and user recommendations. BASE is a new sex estimation tool which is free of charge, fast and easy to use, and allows anthropologists to collect biological data from larger numbers of individuals, even when their skeletons are highly fragmented and damaged. This new method can certainly contribute to a better understanding of past populations and will be of considerable value to forensic investigations in today’s context of steadily rising numbers of missing persons. BOUCHERIE A. , POLET C. , MARTINE V., LEFÈVRE P., SANTOS F., 2025. BASE – BAsicranial Sex Estimation: An R package for sexing adult western European individuals from the cranial base morphometry in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. , (2) :
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Assessing the Impact of Wear on the Recordability of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia: A Quantitative Approach
-
Objectives: This study proposes a standardized, empirically grounded framework for assessing the recordability of linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) in archeological dental samples. Despite the frequent use of LEH as a skeletal stress indicator, there is no consensus on whether and how to account for dental wear in recording protocols. Materials and methods: We analyzed the permanent right teeth of 497 medieval and early modern individuals to assess how dental wear affects the visibility and diagnostic utility of hypoplastic defects across different crown regions. For a given tooth, we assessed if there is a region that tends to be (1) less (or more) recordable than others, (2) less (or more) frequently affected by LEH than others, and (3) less (or more) informative with respect to the presence or absence of LEH than others. Results: The occlusal third was significantly less recordable and rarely provides additional data beyond the middle and cervical thirds. Excluding the occlusal third has minimal effect on overall LEH prevalence, while omitting the middle or cervical thirds leads to marked underestimation. Discussion: These results highlight the importance of incorporating wear-based inclusion criteria into LEH recording protocols. We recommend including only teeth with dental wear affecting less than half of the crown. These findings support the development of standardized inclusion criteria based on crown wear to enhance the consistency and comparability of data on enamel hypoplastic defects across studies and populations.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Earliest perissodactyls reveal large-scale dispersals during the PETM
-
Perissodactyls were a diverse order of mammals in the Northern Hemisphere during the Paleogene, but very few species remain today. They first appear during the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM; 56 Ma) on the three continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Because they lack modern diversity, the study of their evolutionary history remains difficult, relying almost exclusively on fossils. In addition, their origin and early diversification remain elusive since all main groups appear at the same time with several genera and are already diverse, contrary to other modern mammal orders. Here, we investigate the early evolution of perissodactyls by analyzing a new dataset focusing on early species to obtain a new expansive phylogeny. This new topology, in combination with new observations and comparisons demonstrates that several genera are synonymous, simplifying the evolutionary picture of early perissodactyls. We show that the number of genera was overestimated and should be significantly reevaluated. These results also highlight fast dispersals of two genera, Pliolophus and Cardiolophus, on the three Northern continents, reflecting that of other modern mammals. The phylogeny also supports a potential Indo-Pakistani origin of perissodactyls. In addition, this large-scale phylogeny shows that many species that were named as “Hyracotherium” in the past (or sometimes “Eohippus”, the “dawn-horse”) and considered as “horses”, are not actually closely related to horses (Hippomorpha), including Hyracotherium itself, but can be considered as basal perissodactyls.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
-
Geodiversiteit uit een archeologische opgraving in het oude stadscentrum van Antwerpen - bron van informatie over romeinse en middeleeuwse handel en gebruik.
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
De karakteristieken en geografisch/historische verspreiding van veldsteen
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
