Yorkshire (osteo)Archaeology

Conversations about our beautiful Yorkshire and the archaeological sites within

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Why the Masham interesting?

Fourteen individuals were recovered at GP Surgery, Masham, North Yorkshire, and skeletal analysis revealed that ten of these were adults and four were classed as non-adult. Two of the non-adults were adolescents, aged sixteen to nineteen years of age. (Completeness of the skeletons was not very good, a large number of adults could not be reliably assessed for age and/or sex due to the necessary skeletal elements being missing. Therefore, this apparent predominance in males in this population is likely an artefact of small sample.)

(WARNING: This blog post will contain educational discussions and images of human remains.)

Ⅰ.

Evidence of childhood stress in the form of Dental enamel hypoplasia (DEH) had occurred at a lower rate within both groups than the norm for the period.

DEH is the presence of lines, grooves or pits on the surface of the tooth crown and occurs as a result of defective formation of tooth enamel during growth (Hillson 1996). Essentially, they represent a period when the crown formation is halted and they are caused by periods of severe

stress, such as episodes of malnutrition or disease, during the first seven years of childhood. This suggests that perhaps this group simply suffered less from childhood stressors.

Ⅱ.

By contrast, rates of cribra orbitalia for both groups in the Masham population were higher than that reported for the early medieval period in general.

Cribra orbitalia is generally accepted that this pitting relates to unhygienic environments and/or dietary deficiency. It is commonly observed in archaeological populations, particularly associated with agricultural economies (Roberts and Cox 2003) and is often used as an indicator of general stress (Lewis 2000, Roberts and Manchester 2005).

Ⅲ‌.

Specific infectious diseases were also present within the GP Surgery, Masham, group, with an exceptional case of possible tuberculosis seen in an adolescent (Skeleton 4, 16 to 19 years of age). The destructive changes seen within the neck and likely torso, regions of the spine were extensive and likely had a significant impact on the life of this young individual.

Osteological evidence of possible tuberculosis is shown in the figure below:

Ⅳ.

The dental pathology seen within the GP Surgery, Masham, group appeared to be generally worse when compared to the lower rates seen within Dixon Keld, Masham, and the early medieval average. It is likely that a diet high in sugar and other cariogenic foods, together with extremely poor oral hygiene was responsible for the extensive dental pathology seen within the GP Surgery, Masham, group.

Ⅴ.

In addition, dental fractures were found, which may be related to the use of the mouth as a tool.

Ⅵ‌.

This is also supported by the skeletal analysis of the individuals from the GP Surgery, Masham. With radiocarbon dates placing the Dixon Keld cemetery usage from the late seventh century (pre-dating the first Scandinavian settlement in the region) to the early eleventh century, it is thought that the cemetery population at Masham is possibly representative of a mix of the late Anglo-Saxon community and Scandinavian migrants to North Yorkshire (Buckberry et al. 2014, 417). If we do isotope analysis on these skeletons, we might be able to find out where they came from and where they migrated. This would be an interesting result.

*All images and text are from Osteological Analysis GP Surgery, Market Place, Masham, North Yorkshire

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Masham (located in the upper left corner) in relation to York (lower right corner)

[yorkshirebones]

‘Masham’s Lost Cemetery’, N. Yorkshire

York Osteoarchaeology Ltd has released their report on the 2016 excavations in Masham, N. Yorkshire. The new development of the GP Surgery has revealed trace remains of what is likely a previously unknown portion of 'Masham's Lost Cemetery,' a large Anglo-Scandinavian burial ground lost to history. Results include information about the late Anglo-Saxon and early medieval people who lived in North Yorkshire, such as a possible case of tuberculosis, Christian burial customs, and more to be discussed.

WARNING: This blog post will contain educational discussions and images of human remains.

Background

In 2016, an excavation was done at a GP surgery in Masham, North Yorkshire. Masham is an old Anglo-Scandinavian site with the cemetery dating from 679 to 1011 AD. Several excavations have been done across Masham, with the earliest being in 1930 at the Market Square. In 1988, 34 burials were found in the Dixon Keld area of Masham dating from the 7th-8th century as part of a potential early Christian Cemetery. In 1989, 24 individuals were found also in Dixon Keld. In 2005, researchers undertook a complete analysis of these assemblages and found an iron axe and pottery fragment dating to the 9th to 10th century, supporting the theory that these remains were from an Anglo-Scandinavian cemetery. All of the skeletons found so far have been uncovered by developers, including the GP surgery excavation. The 2016 excavation yielded 13 skeletons of various completeness and preservation. Many of these burials were disturbed by modern construction and services, including a medieval rubbish pit. The data suggests this ‘lost cemetery’ was quite large.

Burials

The people buried in this portion of ‘Masham’s Lost Cemetery’ were normal civilians, and may even include some Scandinavian migrants. Their remains were fragmented and incomplete from previous work done in the area, so some findings might not be truly representative. There were, however, some interesting conditions present in their remains.

For example, there was one individual that possibly suffered from tuberculosis! Tuberculosis causes the spine to collapse over time, causing a condition known as kyphosis, or the forward bending of the spine. It can also cause layers of bone to form along the ribs and in the skull, which is shown in the picture below. It takes awhile for tuberculosis to impact the skeleton, so the individual would have been sick for a long time. The signs of tuberculosis also don't commonly appear in the skeleton, and there are few examples of the condition in the early medieval period, so this is an interesting find!

There were little to no instances of a condition called dental enamel hypoplasia (DEH for short) in this portion of the cemetery, and the rest excavated in Masham. DEH occurs as a result of childhood stress, like starvation or illness, which cause the teeth to stop growing. This creates lines, pits, or grooves in the teeth that can be seen and used to look at an individual's life experiences, like an impoverished childhood, that may not be visible elsewhere. The low rates of these indicators compared to other early medieval sites in the area tell us that this group suffered less in childhood from disease or inaccess to food.