Care in Late Antiquity: Applying the bioarchaeology of care method in the case of an unprecedented pathology in an individual from Herrera de Pisuerga, northern Spain

Abstract

Although the study of past health-related caregiving has become an increasingly rewarding focus for bioarchaeologists seeking deeper insights into aspects of social relations in pre-modern cultures, to date there has been no bioarchaeological research into caregiving practices in the early historic periods of the Iberian Peninsula. This work remedies this deficiency. The well-preserved remains of Burial 16, an adult male recovered from the Late Antiquity cemetery of Herrera de Pisuerga (northern Spain) in 2016, display evidence of a severe trauma which is unusual in the osteoarchaeological record: a Monteggia dislocation fracture of the left forearm, which healed with radioulnar synostosis affecting the use of the left upper limb. The ramifications of this pathology for Burial 16′s ability to function independently within the community are analyzed using the bioarchaeology of care method, and results suggest the individual received long-term care in response to permanent limitation of the arm function, initially as direct support, then as “accommodation” from the group. Additionally, osteological evidence for significant dental pathology, associated, inter alia, with the loss of teeth and compromised masticatory function, are discussed in relation to possible requirements for further provision of health-related care. Employing a transdisciplinary approach, the moral aspects of caregiving and its motivations are also briefly discussed. This work provides a platform for future bioarchaeological research into caregiving during Late Antiquity, and contributes to the limited body of knowledge regarding the application of bioarchaeology of care in this period. We intend to extend bioarchaeology of care analysis to other burials in this cemetery, as well as to those from other communities, allowing a population-level analysis.