IMC 2022: Sessions
Session 716: Breaking Down Disciplinary Borders: Connecting Historical and Archaeological Research, III - Medieval Dental Calculus, A Treasure Trove of Information
Tuesday 5 July 2022, 14.15-15.45
| Organiser: | Claire Burridge, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge |
|---|---|
| Moderator/Chair: | Alison Beach, Abteilung Mittelalterliche Geschichte, Universität Trier |
| Paper 716-a | Dental Calculus as a Window on Medieval Urban Religion: An Interdisciplinary Study of Leicester's Augustinian Friary (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Religious Life |
| Paper 716-b | Health and Healing Remedies in Medieval Leprosaria: The Contribution of Dental Calculus Analysis (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Medicine |
| Paper 716-c | Dental Calculus as a Proxy for Oral Health in Medieval Danes (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Medicine |
| Abstract | Analyses of dental calculus (mineralised dental plaque) are revolutionising the ways we can study past populations. The proposed session showcases new research involving the latest analytical methods, from light microscopy to palaeoproteomic and genomic techniques. Each paper addresses a different topic in the field, highlighting the ways in which dental calculus analysis can contribute to our understanding of oral health, medical practices, and monastic lifeways. Taken collectively, the papers demonstrate that this substance provides an unrivalled and, until recently, largely untapped resource for exploring the health and lived experiences of medieval individuals, and especially those unrecorded by the texts. |