Strong but not Unbeatable: Two Cases of Healed Severe Skull Trauma in Males Buried in Medieval Mass Graves (Kutná Hora-Sedlec, Czech Republic)

Hana Brzobohatá; Filip Velímský; Jan Frolík

doi:10.23858/FAH34.2021.002

Published: 2021-12-13

Vol. 34 (2021)

Strong but not Unbeatable: Two Cases of Healed Severe Skull Trauma in Males Buried in Medieval Mass Graves (Kutná Hora-Sedlec, Czech Republic)

Hana Brzobohatá , Filip Velímský , Jan Frolík

Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.23858/FAH34.2021.002

Abstract

This paper presents two cases of healed skull trauma recovered from medieval mass burial sites in Kutná Hora-Sedlec (Kutná Hora District/CZ). These recently unearthed burial pits are historically and contextually associated with two key catastrophes: (1) a famine in the early 14^th century; and (2) the Black Death in the mid-14^th century. The first skull presents evidence of survival from severe cranial injury with highly probable surgical intervention. The second one presents evidence of successful skull surgery, confirming the practice of trepanation performed by a skilled specialist in a given region at a given time in history. Although both individuals had been robust enough to withstand the pain and strain of the treatment, indicating considerable resilience to survive the skull trauma, they succumbed to mass infection or famine that killed a large number of inhabitants of this prominent medieval mining region.

Keywords:

mass burials, Middle Ages, epidemic, famine, trauma, cranial surgery, trepanation

Download files

PDF

Citation rules

Brzobohatá, H., Velímský, F., & Frolík, J. (2021). Strong but not Unbeatable: Two Cases of Healed Severe Skull Trauma in Males Buried in Medieval Mass Graves (Kutná Hora-Sedlec, Czech Republic). Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae, 34, 25–37. https://doi.org/10.23858/FAH34.2021.002

Cited by / Share

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Alfani G., Murphy T. E. 2017. Plague and Lethal Epidemics in the Pre-Industrial World. “Journal of Economic History” 77(1), 314-343.
Google Scholar

Arnott R., Finger S., Smith C. (eds.) 2003. Trepanation. History, Discovery, Theory. Lisse.
Google Scholar

Aufderheide A. C., Rodríguez-Martín C. (eds.) 2011. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology. Cambridge.
Google Scholar

Bartoš M. 2008. Středověké dobývání v Kutné Hoře. In: Příspěvky k dějinám dolování stříbra 2. Kutnohorsko – Vlastivědný Sborník 9/08, 1-44.
Google Scholar

Beauchamp A. M. 2012. The Black Death, Plague, and Mass Mortality. “Journal of the University of Manitoba Anthropology Students’ Association” 30, 1-16.
Google Scholar

Bennike P. 2003. Ancient Trepanations and Differential Diagnosis: A Re-Evaluation of Skeletal Remains from Denmark. In: R. Arnott , S. Finger, C. Smith (eds.), Trepanation, History, Discovery, Theory. Lisse, 95-116.
Google Scholar

Boylston A. 2000. Evidence for Weapon Related Trauma in British Archaeological Samples. In: M. Cox, S. Mays (eds.), Human Osteology in Archaeology and Forensic Science. London, 357-380.
Google Scholar

Brázdil R., Kotyza O., Bauch M. 2018. Climate and Famines in the Czech Lands Prior to AD 1500: Possible Interconnections in a European Context. In: D. Collet, M. Schuh (eds.) Famines during the “Little Ice Age” (1300-1800). Cham, 91-114.
Google Scholar

Brůžek J. 2002. A Method for Visual Determination of Sex, Using the Human Hip Bone. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 117(2), 157-168.
Google Scholar

Brzobohatá H., Frolík J., Zazvonilová E. 2019. Bioarchaeology of Past Epidemic- and Famine-Related Mass Burials with Respect to Recent findings from the Czech Republic. “Interdisciplinaria Archaeologica. Natural Sciences in Archaeology” 10(1), 79-87.
Google Scholar

Buchfelder M. 2005. From Trephination to Tailored Resection: Neurosurgery in Germany before World War II. “Neurosurgery” 56(3), 605-613.
Google Scholar

Castex D. 2008. Identification and Interpretation of Historical Cemeteries Linked to Epidemics. In: D. Raoult, M. Drancourt (eds.), Paleomicrobiology: Past Human Infections. Berlin, Heidelberg, 23-48.
Google Scholar

Chadraba R. 1984. Dějiny českého výtvarného umění I/1. Od počátků do konce středověku. Praha.
Google Scholar

Charvátová K. 2013. Dějiny cisterckého řádu v Čechách 1142-1420. 1. svazek, Fundace 12. století. Praha.
Google Scholar

Ferembach D., Schwidetzky I., Stloukal M. 1980. Recommendations for Age and Sex Diagnosis of Skeletons. “Journal of Human Evolution” 9, 517-549.
Google Scholar

Fibiger L., Ahlström T., Bennike P., Schulting R. J. 2013. Patterns of violence-related skull trauma in Neolithic Southern Scandinavia. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 150(2), 190-202.
Google Scholar

Frolík J. 2012. Archaeological Examination of Medieval Towns in Bohemia (An Overview by an Archaeologist). “Analecta Archaeologica Ressoviensia” 7: Archaeology in a Town, a Town in Archaeology, 67-109.
Google Scholar

Frolík J. 2017a. Pohřbívání ve vrcholném středověku a v novověku na Chrudimsku, Pardubicku a Kolínsku – Bestattungen im Hochmittelalter und in der Neuzeit in den Regionen Chrudim, Pardubice und Kolín. “Archaeologia Historica” 42(1), 187-205.
Google Scholar

Frolík J. 2017b. Záchranný archeologický výzkum při odvodnění hřbitovního kostela Všech svatých s kostnicí v Kutné Hoře-Sedlci – Archäologische Retunggrabung bei der Entwässerung des Beinhauses in Kutná Hora-Sedlec. “Zprávy ČAS – Supplément” 105, 34–35
Google Scholar

Frolík J. 2018. Pokračování záchranného archeologického výzkumu u hřbitovního kostela Všech Svatých s kostnicí v Kutné Hoře-Sedlci – Forsetzung der archäologischen Rettungsgrabung bei der Kirchhof-Allerheiligenkirche mit dem Beinhaus in Kutná Hora/Kuttenberg-Sedlec. “Zprávy ČAS – Supplément” 109, 35-36.
Google Scholar

González Darder J. M. 2019. Cranial Trepanation during the Middle Ages. In: Trepanation, Trephining and Craniotomy. History and Stories. Cham, 95-107.
Google Scholar

Işcan M. Y., Loth S. R., Wright R. K. 1984. Metamorphosis at the sternal rib end: a new method to estimate age at death in white males. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 65(2), 147-156.
Google Scholar

Kaeuper R.W. 2000. Violence in Medieval Society. Woodbridge.
Google Scholar

Kaufman M. H., Whitaker D., McTavish J. 1997. Differential Diagnosis of Holes in the Calvarium: Application of Modern Clinical Data to Paleopathology. “Journal of Archaeological Science” 24(3), 193-218.
Google Scholar

Krakowka K. 2017. Patterns and Prevalence of Violence‐Related Skull Trauma in Medieval London. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 164(3), 488-504.
Google Scholar

Kushner D. S., Verano J. W., Titelbaum A. R. 2018. Trepanation Procedures/Outcomes: Comparison of Prehistoric Peru with Other Ancient, Medieval, and American Civil War Cranial Surgery. “World Neurosurgery” 114, 245-251.
Google Scholar

Likovský J., Malyková D., Brzobohatá H., Stránská P. 2010. Causations and Methods of the Skull Trepanation in the Past from the Point of View of the Latest Findings from the Czech Territory. “Anthropologie” 48(1), 19-32.
Google Scholar

Lovejoy C. O. 1985. Dental Wear in the Libben Population: Its Functional Pattern and Role in the Determination of Adult Skeletal Age at Death. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 68(1), 47-56.
Google Scholar

Lovell N. C. 2008. Analysis and Interpretation of Skeletal Trauma. In: M. A. Katzenberg, S. R. Saunders (eds.), Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton (2nd edition). Hoboken, 341-386.
Google Scholar

Malyková D. 2002. Trepanace lebky v archeologických nálezech z území Čech / Trephinated Skulls among Archaeological Finds from Bohemia. “Archeologie ve středních Čechách” 6(1), 293-314.
Google Scholar

Martin R., Saller K. 1957. Lehrbuch der Anthropologie in systematischer Darstellung mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der anthropologischen Methoden 1 (3rd edition). Stuttgart.
Google Scholar

Molenda D. 1976. Mining Towns in Central-Eastern Europe in Feudal Times. Problem Outline. “Acta Poloniae Historica” 34, 165-188.
Google Scholar

Moore M., Gould P., Keary B. S. 2003. Global Urbanization and Impact on Health. “International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health” 206(4-5), 269-278.
Google Scholar

Murphy E. M. 2003. Trepanations and Perforated Crania from Iron Age South Siberia: An Exercise in Differential Diagnosis. In: R. Arnott, S. Finger, C. Smith (eds.), Trepanation, History, Discovery, Theory. Lisse, 209-221.
Google Scholar

Pearson K. 1899. Mathematical Contributions to the Theory of Evolution. – V. On the Reconstruction of the Stature of Prehistoric Races. “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London” 192, 169-244.
Google Scholar

Phenice T. W. 1969. A Newly Developed Visual Method of Sexing the Os Pubis. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 30(2), 297-301.
Google Scholar

Poche E. 1980. Umělecké památky Čech 3. Prague.
Google Scholar

Redfern R., Roberts C. A. 2019. Trauma. In: J. Buikstra (ed.), Ortner’s Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains (3rd edition). San Diego, 211-284.
Google Scholar

Rocca J. 2003. Galen and the uses of trepanation. In: R. Arnott, S. Finger, C. Smith (eds.), Trepanation, History, Discovery, Theory. Lisse, 253-271.
Google Scholar

Schmitt A. 2005. Une nouvelle méthode pour estimer l´âge au décès des adultes à partir de la surface sacropelvienne iliaque / A new method to assess adult age at death from the iliac sacro-pelvic surface. “Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d´Anthropológie de Paris” 17(1-2), 89-101.
Google Scholar

Scrimshaw N. S. 1987. The phenomenon of famine. “Annual Review of Nutrition” 7, 1-21.
Google Scholar

Sjovold T. 1990. Estimation of stature from long bones utilizing the line of organic correlation. “Human Evolution” 5, 431-447.
Google Scholar

Todd T. W. 1920. Age Changes in Pubic Bone. I. The Male White Pubis. “American Journal of Physical Anthropology” 3(3), 285-334.
Google Scholar

Vyhnánek L. 1999. Nárys kosterní paleopatologie se zaměřením na radiodiagnostiku. In: M. Stloukal (ed.), Antropologie: příručka pro studium kostry. Prague, 386-432.
Google Scholar

Velímský F. 2009. Přehled výsledků dosavadního archeologického průzkumu areálu cisterciáckého kláštera v Sedlci u Kutné Hory. In: R. Lomičková (ed.), Sedlec. Historie, architektura a umělecká tvorba sedleckého kláštera ve středoevropském kontextu kolem roku 1300 a 1700 / Sedletz. Geschichte, Architektur und Kunstschaffen im Sedletzer Kloster im mitteleuropäischen Kontext um die Jahre 1300 und 1700. Opera Facultatis Theologiae catholicae Universitatis Carolinae Pragensis. Historia et historia artium 10. Praha, 385-398.
Google Scholar

Velímský F., Hošek J., Stránská P. 2007. Quod me nutrit me destruit. In: W. Dzieduszycki, J. Wrzesiński (eds.), Środowisko pośmiertne czlowieka. Funeralia Lednickie. Spotkanie 9. Poznań, 389-402.
Google Scholar

Velímský F., Pospíšil A., Brzobohatá H., Štaffen Z. 2008. Příspěvek k poznání stavby kostela Nanebevzetí Panny Marie v Sedlci u Kutné Hory. “Průzkumy památek” 14, 57-70.
Google Scholar

Waldron T. 2009. Paleopathology. Cambrigde manuals in archaeology. New York.
Google Scholar