Life and death at the “The Land of Three Lakes”: Revisiting the non-adults from Roman Aventicum, Switzerland (1st–3rd century CE)

This study also highlights the importance of studying perinates in archaeological populations, since the current research inform us about the experiences of mothers and their offspring in Aventicum. The mortality and disease patterns of the perinates, representing 71% of the total non-adult sample (66/93), suggest that pregnancy and the time around birth were extremely challenging at Aventicum. It is argued that environmental constraints, e.g. the risk of infectious diseases such as malaria and natural phenomena such as recurring floods resulting in resources scarcity, could have considerably affected the mother-fetus pair in this urban settlement.
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research