Inskip, Sarah, Cessford, Craig, Dittmar, Jenna et al. (10 more authors) (2023) Pathways to the medieval hospital:Collective osteobiographies of poverty and charity. Antiquity. pp. 1581-1597. ISSN 0003-598X
Abstract
Medieval hospitals were founded to provide charity, but poverty and infirmity were broad and socially determined categories and little is known about the residents of these institutions and the pathways that led them there. Combining skeletal, isotopic and genetic data, the authors weave a collective biography of individuals buried at the Hospital of St John the Evangelist, Cambridge. By starting with the physical remains, rather than historical expectations, they demonstrate the varied life courses of those who were ultimately buried in the hospital's cemetery, illustrating the diverse faces of medieval poverty and institutional notions of charity. The findings highlight the value of collective osteobiography when reconstructing the social landscapes of the past.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), 2023 |
Keywords: | Cambridge,charity,England,isotope analysis,medieval hospitals,osteology,palaeopathology |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 14 Feb 2024 09:10 |
Last Modified: | 02 Apr 2025 23:27 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.167 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.15184/aqy.2023.167 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:209183 |
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Description: Pathways to the medieval hospital: collective osteobiographies of poverty and charity
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