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IMC 2013: Sessions

Session 334: The Bioarchaeology of the Medieval Life Course, II

Monday 1 July 2013, 16.30-18.00

Organiser:Mary Elizabeth Lewis, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
Moderator/Chair:Fiona Shapland, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
Paper 334-aThe Life of an Adolescent in Medieval England: The Osteological Evidence
(Language: English)
Mary Elizabeth Lewis, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
Index terms: Anthropology, Archaeology - General, Demography
Paper 334-b'I shall wear purple': Gender and the Life Course in Anglo-Saxon England
(Language: English)
Becky Gowland, Department of Archaeology, Durham University
Index terms: Anthropology, Archaeology - General, Demography
Paper 334-cViolence in Medieval London Society: An Osteological Approach
(Language: English)
Kathryn Krakowka, Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Index terms: Anthropology, Archaeology - General, Demography
Paper 334-dA Warrior's Arms: Skeletal Identities of Males in Early Medieval Weapon Burials
(Language: English)
Nivien Speith, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter / School of Applied Sciences, Bournemouth University
Index terms: Anthropology, Archaeology - Sites, Gender Studies
Abstract

Archaeological studies into the experience of living in the Middle Ages provide a connection between human lives and the material world, adding a new dimension to historical studies of the medieval lifecycle (Gilchrist, 2012). These studies are often hindered by the complex nature of biological ageing, meaning that the skeletal remains of the very young, elderly or those who have just reached sexual maturity are invisible in the archaeological record. This session presents a series of papers showcasing new techniques that enable us to identifying the bodies of people at different stages of the medieval life cycle, and explore how their society treated them in death.