Evaluation of chemical composition of cribra orbitalia from post-medieval children graves (Olomouc, Czech Republic)

Abstract

Abstract During an archaeological rescue excavation in center of city Olomouc (Moravia region, Czech Republic) several graves were found. Those graves were a part of a defunct cemetery situated in the area surrounding a church of St. Peter and Paul. The research was focused on analysis of 13 children’s skull samples affected by a chronical pathology known as “cribra orbitalia” (CO). X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to examine differences in the samples with respect to an individual’s age, degree of porosity (representing the progress of CO) and other observed pathologies. Both techniques proved that the ratio of calcium to iron gradually increases with the age of the child without regard to the degree of CO damage. Moreover, the ICP-MS data were evaluated using principal component analysis, which pointed out that the highest contents of Pb were found in samples from individuals suffering from rickets. The preliminary results reveal that more research on this pathology should be performed – not only for post-medieval individuals but also in prehistorical ones.