Contents lists available at Vilnius University Press
Archaeologia Lituana
2019, vol. 20, pp. 116–138
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15388/ArchLit.2019.20.5
Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten?
A Bioarchaeological Profile of
the Subačius Street 41 Population
Justina Kozakaitė
Department of Archaeology, Faculty of History
7 Universiteto St., LT-01513 Vilnius
Vilnius University, Lithuania
justina.kozakaite@mf.vu.lt
Žydrūnė Miliauskienė
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine
21 M. K. Čiurlionio St., LT-03101 Vilnius
Vilnius University, Lithuania
zydrune.miliauskiene@mf.vu.lt
Rūta Brindzaitė
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Faculty of Medicine
21 M. K. Čiurlionio St., LT-03101 Vilnius
Vilnius University, Lithuania
ruta.brindzaite@mf.vu.lt
Abstract. In 2014–2015, an unknown 16th–17th-century cemetery was discovered at the Subačius Street 41 plot in Vilnius.
The uncovered human remains are considered to be one of the most abundant and best-preserved anthropological material in
the territory of present-day Vilnius. Paradoxically, historical sources do not mention this burial site, although the abundance
of the interred individuals does not imply an accidental burial, but perhaps a functioning cemetery for some time. In such
exceptional cases, the only source of information is the synthesis of archaeological and anthropological research data.
This article presents preliminary results and a brief overview of bioarchaeological (demographic, paleopathological, and
dental research, height reconstruction) investigation. A total of 151 individuals were studied, with almost half (45%) of them
consisting of children. Almost 60% of the individuals had one or more pathological lesions. The average height of male
individuals was estimated 168.2 cm, the average height of females was 157.8 cm. The aim of this study can be defined as
twofold: an attempt to identify the people buried outside the city walls and systematize for the first time the bioarchaeological
data of one-out-of-many Vilnius populations. Currently, the Subačius Street 41 population does not resemble a typical urban
community, so the study itself is the first attempt to reveal the osteobiography of these 16th–17th century Vilnius residents.
Keywords: paleopathology, dental studies, bioarchaeology, Vilnius, Early modern, population studies.
Slepiami, nepageidaujami ar tiesiog pamiršti?
Subačiaus g. 41 populiacijos bioarcheologinis profilis
Anotacija. 2014–2015 m. archeologinių tyrimų metu buvo atrastos iki šiol nežinomos XVI–XVII a. kapinės, esančios
Subačiaus g. 41 sklype, Vilniuje. Šios kapinės yra laikytinos vienomis iš gausiausių ir geriausiai išlikusių antropologinės
medžiagos atžvilgiu dabartinio Vilniaus miesto teritorijoje. Paradoksalu, tačiau istoriniai šaltiniai neužsimena apie šią
Received: 24/10/2019. Accepted: 28/11/2019
Copyright © 2019 Justina Kozakaitė, Žydrūnė Miliauskienė, Rūta Brindzaitė. Published by Vilnius University Press
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
116
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
laidojimo vietą, nors iškastų palaikų gausa suponuoja ne atsitiktinius palaidojimus, o galbūt kurį laiką funkcionavusias
kapines. Neretai tokiais išskirtiniais atvejais vieninteliu informacijos šaltiniu tampa archeologinių ir antropologinių tyrimų
duomenų sintezė.
Šiame straipsnyje publikuojami preliminarūs bioarcheologinių tyrimų (demografinių, paleopatologinių, dantų analizės,
ūgio rekonstrukcijos) rezultatai ir trumpa jų apžvalga. Iš viso ištirtas 151 individas, kurių didžiąją dalį (45 %) sudarė vaikai.
Šiuo tyrimu siekiama atsakyti į svarbų probleminį klausimą, kas galėtų būti šie asmenys, atsidūrę už tuometinio Vilniaus
miesto sienų, ir pabandyti susisteminti vienos gausiausių Vilniaus populiacijų bioarcheologinius duomenis. Kol kas galima
tik pasakyti, kad Subačiaus g. 41 populiacija neprimena tipinės miesto bendruomenės, tad pati studija yra vienas pirmųjų
bandymų atskleisti šių XVI–XVII a. Vilniaus gyventojų osteobiografiją.
Reikšminiai žodžiai: paleopatologija, dantų tyrimai, bioarcheologija, Vilnius, naujieji laikai, populiacinės studijos.
Introduction
Officially, the history of Vilnius, the capital city of historic and current Lithuania, began in 1323. Back then, Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, started to turn Vilnius into a political, economic, and cultural centre of the
state. The first settlement was located on the hill and valley that was surrounded by the Neris River and its small
tributary Vilnia, but later expanded to the south (Katalynas, 2006). At the beginning of the 16th century, the Vilnius
commoners had built a defensive wall containing nine gates and an artillery bastion in order to protect themselves
and the city from the attacks during the Russo-Swedish Deluge (Ragauskienė et al., 2006). Although the city wall
was mainly for defensive purposes, it also was a clear urban mark that determined a boundary between Vilnius city
and the outskirts. In the 17th century, Vilnius expanded and some churches, craftsmen’s houses, noblemen residences, and inns were located behind the defensive wall. The middle of the 17th century was a crucial period in Vilnius
history. During the epidemic, eight gates out of nine were locked in order to control the spread of plague. Only the
rich and the clergy were allowed to leave Vilnius, so the commoners and the poor were left to die and cope with
the rest of the problems (Šapoka, 2013). In 1655 (also known as the Deluge), Russian and Cossack forces invaded
Vilnius (The Battle of Vilnius). The siege lasted for six years and during that time the city was destroyed, while
the population size decreased by approximately a half due to killings, fires, famine, and/or plague (Šapoka, 2013).
Streets and public squares were filled with decomposing bodies; therefore, the burial of the dead must have been
rapid and effective. It is recorded that the deceased were buried in multiple mass graves outside the city, usually on
the hills or slopes (Dundulienė, 1963; Jurginis et al., 1968). Equally important to note is the fact that traditionally,
the dead were buried in the parish churchyards and the idea of a city cemetery, which would be open for everyone,
was established only in the end of the 18th century (Rasos Cemetery) (Dundulienė, 1963).
The rich political, religious, and economic history of Vilnius repeatedly overshadows the lives of its citizens – the majority of its dwellers still remain nameless or unrecorded by historical chronicles. Hence, funerary archaeology can provide significant data on a particular burial site, as a bioarchaeological approach can
reveal exclusive data on individuals who usually remain overlooked in the historical records. There is no more
direct source of information about the people who lived in the past than their skeletal and dental materials. Before
a person’s life ends, the human body functions as a scriber that records the change and responds to the living environment. Recently, bioarchaeological dimension increased the interpretive power of important historical shifts
by addressing changes in the quality of life, dynamic changes in demographics, or even migration. For instance,
differences between social statuses can be observed through pathological conditions like diffuse idiopathic skeletal
hyperostosis (DISH1), which aetiologically can be linked with obesity or type II diabetes mellitus. It is most
often diagnosed within people of higher social status (Jankauskas, 2003) and, surprisingly, monks (Rogers and
Waldron, 2001; Hart and Holbrook, 2011). Meanwhile, the commoners and the poor were more prone to suffer
from infectious diseases or metabolic bone disorders (Roberts and Buikstra, 2003; Lewis, 2009; DeWitte, 2015;
Newman and Gowland, 2017). The bone loss in both rural and urban settings proved that the three main factors
DISH – Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, also known as an abnormal bone formation along the anterior
longitudinal ligament of the spine.
1
117
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 1. Location map of Subačius Street 41 burial site and defensive wall of Vilnius in the 16th
century.
1 pav. Vilniaus Subačiaus g. 41 senkapio vieta ir gynybinė Vilniaus siena XVI a.
that were essential for bone maintenance – nutrition, reproduction, and physical activity – were restrained in both
contexts (Agarwal, 2012).
As the numbers of archaeological excavations increase every year, the human osteological collection of Vilnius University is supplemented with new material from Vilnius. A number of people representing various religious groups, social statuses, buried in churches or mass graves outside the Vilnius city walls – they all represent
the old and peculiar (for us!) Vilnius. Yet thorough bioarchaeological studies on Lithuanian historical populations, and especially Vilnius, are rarely published (Jankauskas, 1991; Jatautis et al., 2010; Jatautis et al., 2011).
One of such previously unknown burial grounds with a high number of uncovered individuals comes from
Subačius Street 41, Vilnius. The Subačius Street 41 burial site is dated to the 16th–17th centuries and is located
in the southeast part of present-day Vilnius. The object seemed of particular interest. Historical records failed to
note this burial place in Vilnius and therefore it raised many questions, such as whether written sources had not
preserved or whether nobody had bothered to mention this burial site in the first place, or perhaps that very few
people knew about the graves on the slope outside Subačius gate. Containing more than 100 individuals, who
were interred either according to all Christian traditions or buried in multiple burials without any order, this cem-
118
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
etery was established outside Vilnius city walls. The first preliminary anthropological results revealed an unusual
prevalence of various pathological conditions and a high number of perimortal trauma. It raised certain questions
about the status of these individuals and which part of Vilnius society they might be representing. While the
lack of bioarchaeological comparative studies of Vilnius prevents us from reaching more concise conclusions,
nevertheless, archaeological and anthropological data highlight the peculiarity of the mentioned population. In
this paper, a population-based study of Subačius Street 41 (Fig. 1) is presented. This study aims to present only
preliminary results of the anthropological (skeletal and dental material) study and provides a possible interpretation of the identity of these nameless individuals in the Vilnius city context.
Material and Methods
This study presents the human anthropological material that was uncovered in 2014 and 2015 (Stankevičiūtė,
2014; 2015). Before building a soccer pitch, a new playground, and a gym for The American International School
of Vilnius, an archaeological excavation took place in the Subačius street 41 plot in Vilnius (Stankevičiūtė, 2014,
p. 183). A total area of 284 m2 was excavated, and 126 graves were discovered in the East part of the plot in 2014.
Some dead were interred in a chaotic manner with no signs of a clear order, orientated to the southwest, west,
and north directions. Most individuals were single grave burials; however, eight graves (No. 4, 8, 9, 14, 52, 75,
78, 111) contained more than one individual.
Fig. 2. Grave No. 9 with a minimum number of 6 individuals. Note the chaotic manner of the interred (disposed?) bodies.
Photo courtesy Justina Stankevičiūtė.
2 pav. Mažiausiai šešių individų netvarkingas palaidojimas (užkasimas?) kape Nr. 9. Justinos Stankevičiūtės nuotrauka
119
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 3. Grave No. 52 with 5 individuals in one single pit. This mass grave is constituted
of only adult males with at least two decapitation cases. Photo courtesy Justina Stankevičiūtė.
3 pav. Penki individai kape Nr. 52. Šiame masiniame kape užkasti tik vyrai, mažiausiai
du iš jų buvo nukirstomis galvomis. Justinos Stankevičiūtės nuotrauka
The grave goods consisted almost of coins, while the preserved coffin nails suggested that the deceased were
buried in wooden coffins (Stankevičiūtė, 2014). Meanwhile, in 2015, an additional area of 406.2 m2 was uncovered and 12 graves (no. 127–138) were found in the same E part of the plot (Stankevičiūtė, 2015). This burial site
was dated to the second half of the 16th to 17th centuries. In total, 165 individuals were recorded in 138 graves.
A good preservation level of the anthropological material of these Subačius Street 41 individuals allowed to
initiate visual examination of the human remains. Sex and age estimation, a paleopathological study, measurements, and a dental investigation were carried out by the authors based on the current methodology. Sex estimation was primarily based on sexually dimorphic traits of the pelvic bone and the skull (Buikstra and Ubelaker,
1994). Immature (under 18 years old) individuals were omitted from sex determination. Age at death for adults
was estimated by changes in pubic symphysis (Brooks and Suchey, 1990), the auricular surface (Lovejoy et al.,
1985), and sternal rib ends (Işcan and Loth, 1986a; 1986b). If none of these features were available for observation, the method of cranial suture obliteration was applied (Meindl and Lovejoy, 1985). In addition, a fusion of
secondary ossification centres, such as the sternal end of clavicle, rib heads, sacral segments etc., was recorded
120
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
for young adults (20–29 years) (Schaefer et al., 2009). Age estimation for non-adults was based on dental development and eruption, as recommended by Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). In cases where the teeth were not
present, the skeletal development of the juvenile skeleton was used (Schaefer et al., 2009).
Measurements of the maximum length of the femur were taken in order to reconstruct the stature for both
sexes. If the left femur was fragmented, poorly preserved or absent, the right femur was measured – the differences between the left and right sides of the same bone are minimal and considered to be insignificant (Humprey,
2000). Stature was estimated using the regression formulas by Trotter and Gleser (1952).
To assess the pathological changes in each individual, data were collected for several indicators, such as nonspecific stress markers, infectious diseases, metabolic conditions, trauma, and degenerative joint disease. The
dental study included that of caries, tooth loss, periodontal disease, abscesses, calculus, tooth wear, and enamel
hypoplasia. The brief summary of the applied methods is provided in Table 1. Fractures of the cranium are more
often associated with inter-personal violence than those of any other skeletal element. Since most postcranial
fractures are a result of daily activities, fracture frequencies are more likely to reflect lifestyle differences and
not random events (Lovell, 1997); however, it is possible that some trauma could have been miscategorized.
The frequency of each fracture was calculated for individuals by body region and by skeletal element. For
population-level studies such as this, comparisons between the individuals comprising those populations, rather
than between isolated skeletal elements are most appropriate (Kozakaitė, 2018b). Anatomical regions were only
considered present for observation of trauma when at least 50% of the region was accounted for. For example,
out of the five bones of the upper limb included here (clavicle, humerus, radius, ulna, wrist/hand), individuals
with at least three different areas/elements represented were coded as “present” for the upper limb.
The prevalence rates of skeletal pathological conditions were calculated and presented as the number of
cases and as percentages. Prevalence equals the number of affected individuals divided by the total number of
individuals (151). Meanwhile, the prevalence rates of dental pathologies were calculated and presented as percentages of affected teeth.
Table 1. Recorded pathologies in this study.
1 lentelė. Šiame tyrime registruotos patologijos
Diagnostic criteria
Non-specific
stress marker
Metabolic
disease
Bone affected
Diagnosis
Reference
Marrow hypertrophy in the
diploë bone, also known as
cribra orbitalia
Orbital roofs
A range of anaemias
Walker, 2009
New (woven or lamellar)
bone formation
Diaphyses of long
bones
Cannot be attributed
to a specific cause
Weston, 2008; Klaus,
2014
Horizontal lines on the
external surface of a tooth –
linear enamel hypoplasia
(LEH)
Any tooth
Cannot be attributed
to a specific cause
Hillson, 1996;
Reid and Dean, 2006
A pitted defect on the external Deciduous canines
surface of a tooth – localized
hypoplasia on primary
canines (LHPC)
Cannot be attributed
to a specific cause
Lukacs et al., 2001
Bowing, flattening, flaring,
porosity
Upper and lower limb
bones, epiphyseal
ends, cranial vault
Rickets
Ortner and Mays, 1998;
Mays et al., 2006;
Pinhasi et al., 2006;
Brickley and Ives, 2008
Porosity and new bone
formation
Sphenoid bone,
maxilla, scapula,
orbital roofs
Scurvy
Brickley and Ives, 2008;
Armelagos et al., 2014;
Klaus, 2017; Snoddy et
al. 2018
121
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Diagnostic criteria
Specific
infectious
disease
Trauma
Degenerative
joint diseases
(DJD)
122
Diagnosis
Reference
Vertebral bodies and
joints, acetabulum,
diaphyses
Tuberculosis
Roberts and Buikstra,
2003
New bone formation and
destruction, caries sicca,
sabre tibia, rhino-maxillary
syndrome
Frontal and parietal
bones, maxilla,
diaphyses of long
bones
Syphilis
Hackett, 1975
Rhino-maxillary syndrome,
bone resorption, pitting
Leprosy
Maxilla, nasal bones
and septum, phalanges
of hands and feet
Clear, polished-edge cut, no
signs of healing
Any bone
Callus formation, thickening, Any bone
lamellar and/or woven bone
formation
Perimortal fracture
Waldron, 2009
Lovell, 1997; Judd,
2002
Antemortem fracture Lovell, 1997; Judd,
2002
Multi-shaped impressions in
the surfaces of the vertebral
bodies, known as Schmorl’s
nodes
Superior and inferior
surfaces of the
vertebral body
Disk herniation due
to imposing great
stress on the spine
Waldron, 2009
Micro and macroporosity
Superior and inferior
surfaces of the
vertebral body
Osteochondrosis
Kelley, 1982
New bone formation, porosity Superior and inferior
articular facets of the
and/or eburnation
neural arch
Spondilioarthrosis
Waldron, 2009
New bone formation, porosity Any articular surface
and/or eburnation
of synovial joint
Osteoarthritis
Rodgers and Waldron,
1995
Bony irregular extensions that Margins of the
vary in shape and size
vertebral body
Vertebral
osteophytosis
Ortner, 2003
Neoplastic and
congenital diseases
Aufderheide and Martin,
1998; Ortner, 2003 and
others
Any pathological bone
Miscellaneous changes
Dental disease
Bone affected
Bone destruction, abscess
formation
Any bone
Discoloration (brown spots) Any tooth
or disintegration of enamel or
cementum leading to a cavity
Caries (dental decay) Hilson, 2001
Tooth loss, a socket partly or
completely remodelled
Alveolar part of
maxilla and mandible
Antemortem tooth
loss (AMTL)
Hilson, 1996
Tooth lost with no traces of
socket remodelling
Alveolar part of
maxilla and mandible
Postmortem tooth
loss (PMTL)
Hilson, 1996
Alveolar bone loss with
associated pitted lesions on
the bone surface
Alveolar part of
maxilla and mandible
Periodontal disease
DeWitte and Bekvalac,
2010
Cavity around tooth root with Alveolar part of
a perforating fistula
maxilla and mandible
Abscess
Brothwell, 1972
Mineralized deposits on a
tooth crown or root
Any tooth
Calculus
Brothwell, 1972
Attrition of occlusal surface
of a tooth
Any tooth
Tooth wear
Smith, 1984
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Results
In total, the collected data present 151 individuals, including 83 adults and 68 non-adults. An overall good preservation and completeness level of the remains was observed. For example, the average percentage of skull elements per individual was up to 71%. The upper extremities preservation was 79.2%, while the lower 82.7%. The
preservation level of the vertebral column varied among regions; the least to preserve were cervical vertebrae
(57.7%), whereas the best-preserved vertebrae were from the lumbar region (71.8%). It is impossible to distinguish any differences between age groups or sexes; therefore it was considered, that neither age nor sex could
somehow affect the overall results of preservation. Fourteen individuals were eliminated from this study due to
poor preservation and commingled remains.
Sex determination was carried out for only mature individuals, presenting 50 (33.1%) males, 32 (21.2%) females and one individual of undetermined sex. The demographic distribution of the sample is provided in Table 2:
Table 2. The percentage of sex and age distribution in Subačius St. 41 sample.
2 lentelė. Lyties ir amžiaus procentinis pasiskirstymas Subačiaus g. 41 medžiagoje
Non-adults
0–4
5–9
10–14
23.84% 7.95%
7.95%
(36/151) (12/151) (12/151)
15–19
5.30%
(8/151)
18–20
20–29
30–39
40–49
50+
–
–
–
–
–
Males
–
–
–
–
1.99%
(3/151)
Females
–
–
–
–
–
Unidentified
–
–
–
–
–
7.95% 13.25% 6.62%
(12/151) (20/151) (10/151)
3.97%
9.27%
4.64%
(6/151) (14/151) (7/151)
0.66%
–
–
(1/151)
3.31%
(5/151)
3.31%
(5/151)
–
TOTAL
45.03%
(68/151)
33.11%
(50/151)
21.19%
(32/151)
0.66%
(1/151)
In the non-adult group, neonates and infants I (0–4 years old) demonstrated the highest percentage of death
rate in the population (24%), whereas the number of infants II (between 5 and 14 years) was three times lower
(8%). The lowest number of individuals, with only three subjects represented (2%), were in the 18–20 age group.
Meanwhile, the highest number of females and males were in the 30–39 age group. The distribution of adultus
(20–29 years), maturus (40–49 years) and senilis (over 50 years) adults was similar for both sexes. The demographic profile can be supplemented by a general life table, which is used to measure mortality, survivorship, and
life expectancy of a population at varying ages (Chamberlain, 2006). It shows that approximately, an individual
born in this population would have had a chance of survival until ~24 years (Table 3).
Table 3. Life table of Subačius st. 41 population.
3 lentelė. Subačiaus g. 41 populiacijos gyvenimo lentelė
Age
0
1-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50+
Total
Dx*
19
17
12
12
11
19
34
17
10
151.00
dx
0.13
0.11
0.08
0.08
0.07
0.13
0.23
0.11
0.07
1.00
lx
1.00
0.87
0.76
0.68
0.60
0.53
0.40
0.18
0.07
qx
0.13
0.13
0.10
0.12
0.12
0.24
0.56
0.63
1.00
Lx
0.94
4.09
3.61
3.21
2.83
4.67
2.91
1.23
0.33
23.82
Tx
23.82
22.88
18.79
15.18
11.97
9.14
4.47
1.56
0.33
ex
23.82
26.17
24.67
22.26
19.86
17.25
11.07
8.70
5.00
* Dx – number of individuals per age group; dx – the number of deaths between exact ages x and x+1; lx – the number of
persons surviving to exact age x; qx – the probability that a person exact age x will die within one year; Lx – the number
of person-years lived between exact ages x and x+1; Tx – the number of person-years lived after exact age x; ex – the
average number of years of life remaining at exact age x.
123
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 4. Boxplot comparing the average
height between both sexes. Whiskers
define the highest and shortest individuals. Meanwhile, dots represent the
outliers or more than 3/2 times of the
upper quartile.
4 pav. Tirtos populiacijos vyrų ir moterų vidutinio ūgio palyginimas. „Ūsai“
rodo didžiausias ir mažiausias ūgio
reikšmes. Taškai žymi išskirtis, esančias už stačiakampės diagramos dėžutės atstumu, didesniu nei 1,5 tarpkvartilinio intervalo
Fig. 5. Crude prevalence rates (CPR) of
pathology in non-adults (in %).
5 pav. Patologijų pasiskirstymas (%)
nesuaugusiųjų grupėje.
The average male stature was calculated to be 168.2 cm ± 3.4 cm (median 168.3 cm) based on 35 individuals (Fig. 4). The highest value of stature was of an individual from grave No. 52A, namely 180.9 cm; though all
five individuals from grave No. 52 were above (178.5 cm) the population average. Moreover, this mass grave
contained three individuals with perimortal marks of decapitation (individuals 52A, 52B and 52C) (Kozakaitė
et al., 2018). The shortest male individual was found in grave No. 117 (18–20 yrs) – 155.7 cm. When massive
burials were eliminated from the sample, the average height decreased to 166.5 cm in the male group. On average, female stature was 157.8 cm ± 5.2 cm (median 157.3 cm), based on only 25 individuals. The tallest female
individual was 168 cm, while the shortest only 147 cm.
The results of the paleopathological examination are presented for non-adults and adults in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7,
respectively. A total of 113 individuals (74.8% of the total sample) had at least one pathological condition. Nonadults demonstrated more pathological cases than adults – in total 48 cases (42.5% of total pathological cases),
including non-specific stress markers and metabolic bone disorders (Fig. 5).
Within non-adults, the highest prevalence rate was the PNBF (24 cases or 35%). The rates of scurvy (10 cases
or 15%), cribra orbitalia (13 cases or 19%) and PNBF on the endocranial surface (12 cases or 18%) were also
exceptionally high. The lowest rates, counting for only 3%–4% (2 and 3 cases respectively), in the non-adult
group were for rickets (Fig. 6) and non-specific PNBF on the visceral rib surfaces. Overall, the prevalence of
pathology was high in all non-adult age groups, with more than one condition recurring in a non-adult individual.
As well as for non-adults, PNBF had the highest rate in the adult group (21 cases or 25%), mostly affecting
the tibia, though the rates of osteitis and osteomyelitis accounted only 1%–4% of all cases. The rate of cribra
124
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Fig. 6. Grave No. 92, non-adult, 2–4
years old. A case of rickets. Note the
slight bowing of both tibiae. Photo
courtesy Rūta Brindzaitė.
6 pav. Kapas Nr. 92, nesuaugęs individas, 2–4 metų. Rachito atvejis, kuriam
būdingas abiejų blauzdikaulių išlinkimas. Rūtos Brindzaitės nuotrauka
orbitalia in the adult sample was low (only 9 cases or 11%), but recorded in both males and females (Fig. 7).
Three cases of tuberculosis (4%) were also diagnosed. No cases of syphilis or leprosy were observed in the
Subačius Street 41 material.
Although degenerative joint diseases (DJD) are generally accepted as a pathological condition of multifactorial aetiology (Weiss and Jurmain, 2007), most regard it specifically as an age-related phenomenon, which is the
result of continuous mechanical loading of the joints or spine throughout the lifetime of an individual (Rogers
and Waldron, 1995; Larsen, 2015). Findings from Subačius Street 41 indicated that age was a significant aetiological factor of DJD prevalence for both males and females. Males were afflicted by the disease more than females in the knees (osteoarthritis) and spine (osteochondrosis and spondilioarthrosis) (7 females and 12 males).
Males also suffered from Schmorl’s nodes – out of 21 cases, 15 were in the male group. Schmorl’s nodes are
formed when damage to the vertebral endplate compresses the intervertebral disk, the anulus fibrosus is weakened, and the nucleus pulposus protrudes through the fibrous capsule.
125
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 7. Crude prevalence rates (CPR) of pathology in adults.
7 pav. Patologijų pasiskirstymas (%) suaugusiųjų grupėje
Traumatic injuries were divided into three major groups: non-accidental (or violent), accidental (or occupational), and unknown. To identify a fracture as the result of violent behaviour, different causes were evaluated,
including falls, which are the most frequent cause in living populations; therefore, careful observations of bones
that are associated with violence were needed, such as facial bones, ribs, hands, scapulae, and the sternum. In
total, 40 individuals (26.5%) had fractures: 20 individuals (13.25%) had multiple fractures, whilst the other half
(13.25%) experienced traumatic injury only once. In all cases, the number of males, or in total 30 males, and
their sustained fractures number, or 56 fractures out of a total 70 fractures, outnumbered females, i.e., 10 females
with 14 fractures. Twenty-nine cases (19.2%) could be attributed to accidental injuries, as both sexes experienced long bone lesions of the upper and lower extremities. However, several cases, especially associated with
high-energy traumatic injuries, were hard to attribute to either the accidental or non-accidental category (Fig. 8).
Fourteen (9.27%) individuals suffered violent injuries, including nasal bone or skull fractures. In total, 3 females
and 11 males were subjected to violent encounters. At least 6 cases were perimortal: three adult males between
20–40 showed evidence of cut signs in the cervical region, which suggest cases of decapitation (see Kozakaitė
et al., 2018); a male over 50 years old suffered a spiral perimortal femur fracture (Fig. 9); a young 20–29 male
displayed a sharp force injury to the back of his head with no signs of healing (Fig. 10); and a young 20–29 male
demonstrated a perimortal ulna fracture.
Several pathological conditions could not be assorted into any major pathological conditions classifications;
thus, they fell into the “miscellaneous” group. Conditions like a possible case of rheumatoid arthritis (grave
No. 85; male, 45–50), DISH (grave No. 32: male, 45–50), or even a tumor of the forehead (grave No. 24; male,
30–39) were observed. The latter case (Fig. 11) is of special interest for detailed future studies, as malignant
tumors are rare, because evidence of oncological disorders deduced from the past literature and documental records is scarce; thus, palaeopathological studies of past populations may uncover new details about prevalence
of these cases and answer some crucial questions on the morbidity and mortality from malignant neoplasms
(Marques, 2018).
126
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Fig. 8. Grave No. 83, male, 40–45.
The fracture of ramus inferior and ramus superior with no signs of initial
healing – pseudarthritis formation is
present. Note the deformation level
of the corpus of pubis. Photo courtesy
Rūta Brindzaitė.
8 pav. Kapas Nr. 83, vyras, 40–45 me
tų. Gaktikaulio viršutinės ir apatinės
šakų lūžiai ir susiformavęs pseudoartritas su ryškia gaktikaulio kūno deformacija. Rūtos Brindzaitės nuotrauka
Fig. 9. Grave No. 72, male over 50. A
perimortal fracture of the left femur.
No signs of healing were recorded.
Photo courtesy Rūta Brindzaitė.
9 pav. Kapas Nr. 72, vyras, >50 metų.
Perimortalinis kairiojo šlaunikaulio
lūžis be gijimo žymių. Rūtos Brindzaitės nuotrauka
127
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 10. Grave No. 90, male, 20–29.
Sharp force perimortal trauma to the
back of the head of a young male. Photo courtesy Rūta Brindzaitė.
10 pav. Kapas Nr. 90, vyras, 20–29 me
tų. Aštriu įrankiu sukeltas mirtinas pakaušio srities sužalojimas. Rūtos Brindzaitės nuotrauka
Fig. 11. Grave No. 24, male, 30–39. Lytic lesion on the right side of the frontal bone. A possible case of tumor. Photo courtesy Rūta Brindzaitė.
11 pav. Kapas Nr. 24, vyras, 30–39 metų. Ardomasis pažeidimas dešinėje kaktikaulio pusėje. Įtariamas naviko atvejis. Rūtos
Brindzaitės nuotrauka
128
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Dental analysis was carried out on 121 individuals (2285 teeth) in total. Five age categories were defined
based on the eruption of teeth (Table 4). Results were presented for each age-at-death category. As primary
analysis revealed no substantial differences between the dental status of males and females emerged; thus, the
results of both sexes for adult individuals were pooled.
Table 4. Five age categories and a number of individuals representing each category.
4 lentelė. Penkios amžiaus kategorijos ir individų skaičius, reprezentuojantis kiekvieną šių kategorijų
Stages
Young children (YO)
Age-at-death
Representation
1–6
Deciduous dentition
Older children (OC)
No. of non-adults
18 (14.9%)
7–12
Mixed dentition
9 (7.4%)
Adolescents (Ad)
13–20
Permanent dentition, yet skeletal maturation is incomplete
14 (11.6%)
Young adults (YA)
Mature/old individuals (MOA)
21–40
41+
Permanent dentition
Permanent dentition
49 (40.5%)
22 (18.2%)
An analysis of caries revealed that 56% of non-adults and more than 80% of adults had at least one tooth affected. The average number of decayed teeth per individual ranged from 1.4 among children up to 5.3 in mature
adults. Percentages of teeth with caries in each age of death group are presented in Table 5.
Table 5. Prevalence of dental pathologies by teeth in different age groups.
5 lentelė. Dantų patologijų pasiskirstymas tarp skirtingų amžiaus grupių
Age group
Caries
AMTL
Abscesses
Periodontal
disease
Calculus1
YC
n/N
%
29/213a 13.6
0/333b
0
0/333b
0
OL
n/N
%
13/118 11.0
0/176
0
0/176
0
Ad
n/N
%
17/355 4.8
0/426
0
0/426
0
YA
n/N
%
232/1204 19.3
46/1428
3.2
43/1428
3.2
MOA
n/N
%
116/395 29.4
154/655 23.5
53/655 10.7
Total adults
n/N
%
348/1599 21.8
200/2083
9.6
96/2083
5.2
0/213a
0
0/118
0
0/352
0
380/1160
32.8
242/360
67.2
622/1520
40.9
3/213a
0/213a
1.4
0
32/118
7/118
27.1
5.9
91/355
3/355
25.8
0.8
757/1204
163/1204
63.6
13.7
298/395
80/395
78.4 1055/1599
21.1 243/1599
67.2
15.5
Young children (YC), older children (OC), adolescents (Ad), young adults (YA), middle and old adults (MOA).
prevalence of teeth with calculus, and prevalence of teeth with moderate and severe defects.
a number of teeth with particular defect out of total number of teeth available.
b number of teeth sockets with a particular defect out of total number of teeth sockets available.
1 total
Among YC, 89% of the lesions were of initial or shallow degrees, while moderate caries prevailed among
OC. The severity of caries of permanent teeth increased with age: 94% of decay in adolescent’s dentition were
at the stage of the beginning, while 42.2% of affected teeth in YA and 48.3% of affected teeth in MOA had moderate and severe lesions. In all age-at-death groups occlusal surface was among the most frequently affected.
An analysis of the dentition of non-adults revealed no substantial changes in the location of cavities with age.
However, an analysis of decayed teeth of adult individuals revealed a significant increase in approximal (both
coronal and root) and gross caries in the MOA group. Severity and the location of caries in each age of death
group is presented in Table 6.
An analysis of tooth loss revealed a low prevalence of AMTL among young adults: 40% of individuals had
at least on tooth loss before death, yet only 3.2% of the teeth were lost in total (0.9 of teeth per individual on the
average). In the MOA group, 83% of individuals had AMTL, and the number of antemortem lost teeth increased
to 23.5% (7.0 of teeth per individual on the average). No cases of antemortem lost teeth were found in children
and adolescent groups. The percentage of lost teeth in each age of death group are presented in Table 5.
129
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Table 6. Severity and location of caries in different age groups.
6 lentelė. Ėduonies pažeidimų stiprumas ir lokalizacija skirtingose amžiaus grupėse
Age group
YC
n/N
Ad
OL
%
n/N
%
n/N
MOA
YA
%
n/N
Total
%
n/N
%
n/N
%
Severity of caries1
Initial
15/29
51.7
2/24
8.3
9/17
52.9
76/232
32.8
34/116
29.3
110/346
31.8
Shallow
11/29
37.9
3/24
12.5
7/17
41.2
58/232
25.0
26/116
22.4
83/346
24.0
Moderate
2/29
6.9
10/24
41.7
1/17
5.9
62/232
26.7
31/116
26.7
94/346
27.2
Severe
1/29
3.4
0/24
0
0/17
0
36/232
15.5
25/116
21.6
59/346
17.1
Location of carious
1
2
cavities2
Occlusal
11/90
12.2
8/70
11.4
10/199
5.0
60/540
11.1
17/144
11.8
77/882
8.7
Coronal approximal
14/426
3.3
5/236
2.1
5/710
0.7
86/2408
3.6
52/790
6.6
138/3198
4.3
Root approximal
0/426
0
5/236
2.1
0/710
0
54/2408
2.2
39/790
4.9
93/3198
2.9
Root bucal
2/213
0.9
0/118
0
0/355
0
30/1204
2.5
11/395
2.8
41/1599
2.6
Gross
0/213
0
0/118
0
0/355
0
32/1204
2.7
19/395
4.8
51/1599
3.2
Young children (YC), older children (OC), adolescents (Ad), young adults (YA), middle and old adults (MOA).
number of teeth with particular type of lesion out of total number of teeth with caries; severity of caries was defined
according to following criteria: initial – a brown spot with slightly polished enamel, shallow – a cavity that penetrates
enamel or outer half of the dentin, moderate – a cavity with inner half of dentine affected, and severe – a cavity with exposed dental pulp.
number of particular tooth surfaces affected out of total number of surfaces at risk; in case of extensive decay, where there
was no possibility to determine the initial surface, caries was defined as gross.
Fig. 12. Grave No. 30, male over 50.
Heavy antemortem tooth loss. Note
healed fracture of the right side of the
maxilla. Photo courtesy Justina Kozakaitė.
12 pav. Kapas Nr. 30, vyras, >50 metų.
Visų dantų priešmirtinis netekimas.
Dešinės pusės viršutinio žandikaulio
sugijęs lūžis. Justinos Kozakaitės nuotrauka
130
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Fig. 13. Grave No. 20, male, 35–40. Calculus formation on the right side, while the left side was not affected. Photo courtesy
Justina Kozakaitė.
13 pav. Kapas Nr. 20, vyras, 35–40 metų. Dantų akmenų sankaupos dešinėje pusėje, kairė pusė – nepažeista. Justinos Kozakaitės nuotrauka
Fig. 14. The average degree of permanent tooth wear in adolescents (Ad) and young adults (YA) and middle and old
adults (MOA). Tooth type: I – incisors, C – canines, P – premolars, M – molars.
14 pav. Vidutinis nuolatinių dantų nusidėvėjimo laipsnis paauglių (Ad), jaunų suaugusiųjų (YA) ir vidutinio bei vyresnio
amžiaus suaugusiųjų (MOA) amžiaus grupėse. Dantų tipai:
I – kandžiai, C – iltiniai, P – kapliai, M – krūminiai dantys
Fig. 15. The average degree of deciduous tooth wear in
young children (YC) and older children (OC). Tooth type:
I – incisors, C – canines, P – premolars, M – molars.
15 pav. Vidutinis pieninių dantų nusidėvėjimo laipsnis mažų
vaikų (YC) ir vyresnių vaikų (OC) amžiaus grupėse. Dantų
tipai: I – kandžiai, C – iltiniai, P – kapliai, M – krūminiai
dantys
An investigation of periodontal disease revealed no marked alveolar bone loss in non-adult and adolescent
dentition. However, more than 80% of adults had evidence of moderate to severe alveolar bone loss (in total,
40.9% of teeth were affected by periodontal disease). Periapical abscesses were detected only in the adult dentition, in total, 55% of the individuals and 5.2% of teeth were affected. The percentage of teeth with periodontal
disease and abscesses in each age of death group are given in Table 5.
The majority of deciduous teeth of non-adults had no traces of calculus or only slight deposits. Only one
individual in the OC group had moderate dental stones. Slight calculus deposits also prevailed among adult individuals. The severity of calculus increased only in the MOA age group, where 21% of the teeth were covered
by moderate and severe dental tartar (Fig. 13). The percentage of total number of teeth with calculus in each age
of death group are presented in Table 5.
131
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Fig. 16. Grave No. 89, male, 30–35. Enamel hypoplasia visible on the front teeth. Photo courtesy Justina Kozakaitė.
16 pav. Kapas Nr. 89, vyras, 30–35 metų. Priekinių dantų emalio hipoplazijos. Justinos Kozakaitės nuotrauka
A dental wear analysis revealed a moderate tooth wear with a pattern of attrition typical for the time period
under study. The average degree of dental attrition increased gradually with age in all teeth categories, indicating
equal masticatory tooth wear (Fig. 14 and Fig. 15).
A total of 75 individuals with permanent teeth and 25 individuals with deciduous teeth were scored for the
presence or absence of dental enamel defects. The analysis revealed that 77.3% of individuals with permanent
teeth showed linear enamel hypoplasia, indicating systemic unspecific stress episodes experienced in childhood;
67.2% of individuals with LEH had moderate to severe defects (Fig. 16). The majority of stress episodes were
experienced in the period from 2 to 4 years of age. No LEH was found on the deciduous dentition; however,
the teeth of 10 children (40%) had localized hypoplasia on their primary canines, indicating unspecific stress
episodes experienced in utero or during the first year of life.
The Outcasts of Vilnius? Discussion, Problems and Conclusion
To date, anthropological comparative studies from Lithuania are rare. Only several studies published previously
can draw an overall picture of the past populations and the environment that affected their general well-being
(Vėlius, 2005; Jankauskas, 2005; Jankauskas, 2009). Unfortunately, the majority of all studies are mostly prewritten and historically biased (Balčiūnienė et al., 1992; Jankauskas, 1993; Jankauskas and Urbanavičius, 1997;
Antanaitis-Jacobs et al., 2002; Jankauskas, 2012; etc.); hence, the results from historical periods are scarce
and usually oriented toward a specific pathological condition or lesion (Jankauskas, 1989; Jankauskas, 1991;
Jankauskas, 1992; Jankauskas, 1995; Palubeckaitė et al., 2002; Kozakaitė and Jankauskas, 2013; etc.). Though
Vilnius is excavated more often than any other city or region in Lithuania, the overall bioarchaeological comparative studies are still relatively scarce. Hence, our knowledge of its dwellers, their lifestyle, and everyday
struggles is still an untapped territory, begging for scrutinized research. As previously noted, Subačius Street 41
attracted the researchers’ attention with its unique context, or mainly the lack of it, followed by mass and single
burials (Fig. 17), and some intriguing preliminary anthropological results. Deceased who were buried outside the
city, unrecorded, with numerous pathological conditions depicting most possibly harsh living conditions. Obviously, some questions needed to be answered: who are these people buried outside the city walls of Vilnius? And
132
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Fig. 17. An extract from spatial layout of graves in Subačius st. 41 site. Adapted from Stankevičiūtė (2015).
17 pav. Subačiaus g. 41 kapų erdvinio išdėstymo plano fragmentas. Remiantis Justinos Stankevičiūtės ataskaita (2015)
is it possible for a bioarchaeological approach of a certain population, in this case that of Subačius Street 41, to
draw an overall picture of the Vilnius citizens? Generally, the individuals buried in this cemetery were treated
according to the normative burial practices of that time period; following Christian beliefs, the dead were buried
supine, stretched out, in a SW, W or NW orientation (Stankevičiūtė, 2014; 2015), and without grave goods in
cemeteries associated with parish churches. Yet some individuals were buried in groups, suggesting simultaneous burial during a period of increased mortality, like war, epidemics, famine, etc. May anthropological data
answer or at least provide a little glimpse into the status of these individuals?
The demographic profile of Subačius Street 41 would represent natural mortality; infant mortality was high,
constituting 45% of the whole population; even if the individuals had survived childhood, the age expectancy
was approximately 24 years. These numbers are fairly low, yet not so uncommon for the period; e.g., in the 13th–
17th c. Latvia, the average life expectancy for a newborn was ~25 years (Rudovica et al., 2009). This trend is
visible all over Europe (Steane, 1985).
The paleopathological findings of Subačius Street 41 suggest that the living conditions in an urban environment might be slightly different than those of other contemporaneous populations. Results suggest that inhabitants of an unknown cemetery in Vilnius experienced periodic stress and rigorous living conditions with numerous cases of non-specific stress markers, like non-specific periosteal bone reactions (42.1% of total population),
cribra orbitalia (10.8%), or enamel hypoplasia (77.3%). The common occurrence of trauma (26.5%) and various
spinal diseases and lesions (45.8%) all point to a number of stressors in the lives of the people in Vilnius. This
is suggestive of a resilient population living and adapting to a harsh and periodically resource-deprived and not
always friendly environment. This could be explained by devastating fires, periodical famines, and the infamous
and all-wrecking 17th century Deluge, when the Swedish and Russian armies invaded the capital of Lithuania,
slaughtering its inhabitants and leaving them devoid of proper living conditions. Maybe the cases of decapitations (grave Nos. 52 and 78) and mass burials could be explained by these turmoiled years? Of course, these
speculations still need a more detailed analysis that could reveal whether the discussed individuals were the
133
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
citizens of Vilnius or the invaders of the Deluge. Could mass burials without any evidence of violent trauma
represent the victims of the same mass disaster, or the non-survivors of a widespread infectious disease?
In contrast, the dental analysis revealed moderate dental health of the individuals: a low prevalence of dental
pathologies in children and adolescents with an increase of lesions in dentitions of adults. The general prevalence
of caries is similar for medieval and postmedieval populations whose diet is based on carbohydrates, yet with low
consumption of sugar (Varrela, 1991; Lingström and Borrman 1999; Šlaus, 2000; Malčić et el., 2011). However, a
significant increase in dental pathologies with age, especially in antemortem tooth loss, abscesses and periodontal
disease indicates a rapid deterioration of oral health. Though AMTL could result from various factors, the most
tentative cause of tooth loss in historical populations is a complication of dental decay with subsequent extraction
of a tooth (Hillson, 2001). As there was no effective medical treatment, the extraction of decayed teeth was a common procedure (Anderson, 2004). Complications of decay can also lead to a formation of periapical root abscesses
(Hillson, 2001). Thus, a high prevalence in AMTL and abscesses in older individuals, as well as increase in severity
of caries in older children, indicates that the disease took an acute invasive course.
The development of dental diseases depends primarily on dietary factors, such as the cariogenicity of food,
its consistency, frequency of consumption, oral hygiene, etc. (Burt and Ismail, 1986; Hillson, 2001). However,
recent studies revealed that the general health status of an individual and his immune system is also of importance. Individuals with an impaired immune system could be more prone to dental and other infectious diseases
(DeWitte and Bekvalac, 2010). Individuals with periodontal diseases or caries had an elevated risk of mortality,
as infections from decayed teeth or infected periodontal tissue can spread through the organism (Nicklisch et al.,
2008). Thus, a high number of periodontal diseases and pathological caries could serve as an additional indicator
of the worsening general health of the individuals.
The high number of LEH indicates stressful growth conditions during childhood of the majority of individuals in the population. It is impossible to determine the exact cause of the defect, as LEH can result from
various environmental factors that impair a child’s growth. However, frequent diseases and malnutrition are of
importance (Goodman and Rose, 1990; Gamblea et al., 2017). Our analysis also revealed a high prevalence of
localized enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous dentition of children. The course of these defects is more debatable. Some authors considered them as evidence of trauma during the first year of life. Others considered them
as indicators of nutritional deprivation in utero (malnutrition of female during pregnancy) or early in life (Lukacs
et al., 2001; Halcrow and Tayles, 2008).
Moreover, stature reconstruction did not reveal a high difference between the general trends. Stature is a
complex and individual feature of human biology. The attained height is defined by the interaction between
genetics and the environment (such as one’s diet and diseases) during growth and development (Tanner, 1978;
Bogin, 1999; Cameron, 2002). It is established that males are less buffered from the negative impact of the environment than women; therefore, their stature is considered to be a better indicator of secular change (Stinson,
1985). In this study, the average stature of male individuals was found to be similar to average male height in
Vilnius during the 16th–17th centuries (Jatautis and Mitokaitė, 2013; Brindzaitė, 2016). It can be concluded that
it also corresponds to the general height tendencies in Europe. According to Steckel (2004), the 17th century
is a period when the values of average stature are the lowest, and this trend can be found in most of the European populations. For example, in Estonia (Tallinn, Tartu and Parnu), the values for average male height were
calculated to be around 169 cm (Allmäe and Limbo, 2010), whereas in Latvia, males were around 170 cm tall,
on average, in the 16th–18th centuries (Gerhards, 2005). In Denmark, the average male was 168.9 cm in height
(Maat, 2005). The average of height decreases significantly (166.9 cm) when mass burials are eliminated from
the Subačius Street 41 sample. Male individuals who outstand the average of the population (more than 9 cm)
were 176–181 cm tall. This is an unusual result compared to the general population trend. All five individuals
were buried in one grave without any grave goods. Perimortal cuts in the neck region were observed for two
individuals. These cases of decapitation were thoroughly discussed in Kozakaitė (2018a). The average stature of
134
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
females corresponds to female height tendencies and does not differ significantly from Latvian, Estonian, Danish
assemblages of contemporaneous populations (Gerhards, 2005; Maat, 2005; Allmäe and Limbo, 2010).
To conclude, the interpretation of the Subačius Street 41 population’s bioarchaeological profile is not straightforward. The pathological conditions suggest that some of the individuals were highly exposed to stressors during their childhood and adulthood, whereas the values of average life expectancy, stature, and the prevalence of
dental pathologies correspond to the general trends observed in Europe. This study requires more analyses, such
as historical studies, an isotope analysis to reconstruct diet and migration, and a DNA analysis for pathogens
screening. This might be the outline for future research that would help shed light on this puzzling site in Vilnius.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to note that nowadays research articles of human osteological populations are rarely
published; therefore, we would like to thank prof. Albinas Kuncevičius for his patience and goodwill.
We thank Justina Stankevčiūtė for the assistance with photos from archaeological excavations that greatly
improved the manuscript.
References
Agarwal S. C. 2012. The past of sex, gender, and health: Bioarchaeology of the aging skeleton. American Anthropologists,
114, p. 322–335. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1433.2012.01428.x.
Allmäe R., Limbo J. 2010. Skeletal stress-markers in the early modern town of Parnu, Estonia. Papers on Anthropology,
19, p. 29–48.
Anderson T. 2004. Dental treatment in medieval England. British Dental Journal, 197, p. 419–425.
Antanaitis-Jacobs I. R., Richards M., Daugnora L., Jankauskas R., Ogrinc N. 2009. Diet in early Lithuanian prehistory and
the new stable isotope evidence. Archaeologia Baltica, 12, p. 12–29.
Armelagos G. J., Sirak K., Werkema T., Turner B. L. 2014. Analysis of nutritional disease in prehistory: The search for scurvy
in antiquity and today. International Journal of Paleopathology, 5, p. 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2013.09.007.
Aufderheide A. C., Rodriguez-Martin C. 1998. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology. Cambridge
University Press.
Balčiūnienė I., Česnys G., Jankauskas R. 1992. Spigino mezolito kapų kraniometrija, odontologija, osteometrija ir
paleopatologija. Lietuvos archeologija, 8, p. 10–16.
Bogin B. 1999. Patterns of Human Growth. Cambridge University Press.
Brickley M., Ives R. 2008. The Bioarchaeology of Metabolic Bone Disease. Academic Press.
Brindzaitė R. 2016. Vilniečių vyrų ūgis XVI–XVII a. Bakalauro darbas. Vilniaus universitetas.
Brooks S., Suchey J. M. 1990. Skeletal age determination based on the os pubis: A comparison of the Acsádi-Nemeskéri and
Suchey-Brooks methods. Human Evolution, 5, p. 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02437238.
Brothwell D. R. 1972. Digging up Bones: The Excavation, Treatment and Study of Human Skeletal Remains. Trustees of the
British Museum, London.
Buikstra J. E., Ubelaker D. H. 1994. Standards for data collection from human skeletal remains. Fayetteville: Arkansas
Archeological Survey Research Series No. 44. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.1310070519.
Burt B. A., Ismail A. I. 1986. Diet, nutrition, and food cariogenecity. Journal of Dental Research, 65, p. 1475–1484.
Cameron N. 2002. Human Growth and Development. Academic Press.
Chamberlain A. T. 2006. Demography in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press.
DeWitte S. N. 2015. Setting the stage for medieval plague: Pre-Black death trends in survival and mortality. American
Journal of Physical Anthropology, 158, p. 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.22806.
DeWitte S. N., Bekvalac J. 2010. Oral health and frailty in the medieval English cemetery. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, 142, p. 341–354. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21228.
Dundulienė P. 1963. Badas ir maras Lietuvoje feodalizmo laikais. Vilnius.
Frick D. 2013. Kith, Kin, and Neighbors: Communities and Confessions in Seventeenth-Century Wilno. Cornell Universiy
Press. https://doi.org/10.7591/cornell/9780801451287.001.0001.
135
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Gamblea J. A., Boldsen J. L., Hoppa R. D. 2017. Stressing out in medieval Denmark: An investigation of dental enamel
defects and age at death in two medieval Danish cemeteries. International Journal of Paleopathology, 17, p. 52–66.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2017.01.001.
Gerhards G. 2005. Secular variations in the body stature of the inhabitants of Latvia (7th millennium BC–20th c. AD). Acta
Medica Lituanica, 12 (1).
Goodman A. H., Rose J. C. 1990. Assessment of systemic physiological perturbations from dental enamel hypoplasias
and associated histological structures. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 33, p. 59–110. https://doi.org/10.1002/
ajpa.1330330506
Hackett C. J. 1975. An introduction to diagnostic criteria of syphilis, treponarid and yaws (treponematoses) in dry bones, and
some implications. Virchows Archiv. A, Pathological Anatomy and Histology, 368, p. 229–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/
bf00432525
Halcrow S. E., Tayles N. 2008. Stress near the start of life? Localised enamel hypoplasia of the primary canine in late
prehistoric mainland Southeast Asia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35, p. 2215–2222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
jas.2008.02.002
Hart J., Holbrook N. 2011. A medieval monastic cemetery within the precinct of Malmesbury abbey: Excavations at the Old
Cinema Site, Market Cross. Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Magazine, 104, p. 166–192.
Hillson S. 1996. Dental Anthropology. Cambridge University Press.
Hillson S. 2001. Recording dental caries in archaeological human remains. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 11,
p. 249–289. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.538.
Humphrey L. 2000. Growth Studies of Past Populations: An Overview and an Example. M. Cox and S. Mays (eds.) Human
Osteology in Archaeology and Forensic Science. Cambridge University Press, p. 23–38.
Işcan M. Y., Loth S. R. 1986a. Determination of age from the sternal rib in white males: A test of the phase method. Journal
of Forensic Science, 31, p. 122–132. https://doi.org/10.1520/jfs11866j.
Işcan M. Y., Loth S. R. 1986a. Determination of age from the sternal rib in white females: A test of the phase method.
Journal of Forensic Science, 31, p. 990–999.
Jankauskas R. 1989. Palaeopathological evidences of tuberculosis in Lithuania. Humanbiologia Budapestinensis, 19, p. 65–
68.
Jankauskas R. 1991. Traumatic lesions of the 15th–18th century skull sample at Vilnius – a reflection of lifestyle changes?
Papers of the scientific session in Szeged (Hungary) 1990, p. 115–123.
Jankauskas R. 1992. Degenerative changes of the vertebral column in Lithuanian paleoosteological material. Anthropologie,
XXX/1, p. 109–119.
Jankauskas R. 1993. Plinkaigalio kapinyno osteometrija ir paleopatologija. Lietuvos archeologija, 10, p. 197–208.
Jankauskas R. 1995. Vėlyvųjų viduramžių Alytaus antropoekologija (XIV–XVII a. senkapio duomenimis). Lietuvos
archeologija, 11, p. 34–46.
Jankauskas R. 2003. The incidence of diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis and social status correlations in Lithuanian
skeletal materials. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 13, p. 289–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.697.
Jankauskas R. 2005. Skeletal inventory, age, sex and pathologies of Marvelė sample. M. Bertašius (ed.) Marvelė. Ein
Gräberfeld Mittellitauens. I Band / Marvelė. Vidurio Lietuvos aukštaičių II–XII a. kapinynas. Kaunas, p. 95–102.
Jankauskas R. 2009. Anthropologische Bestimmungen. Skeletal Inventory, Age, Sex and Pathologies of Marvelė Sample.
M. Bertašius (ed.) Marvelė. Ein Bestattungsplatz mit Pfergedräbern / Marvelės žirgų kapinynas. II Band. Kaunas, p. 93–
98.
Jankauskas R. 2012. Violence in the Stone Age from an Eastern Baltic Perspective. Rick J. Schulting and Linda Fibiger
(eds.) Sticks, Stones, and Broken Bones: Neolithic Violence in a European Perspective. Oxford University Press, p. 36–
49. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199573066.003.0003.
Jankauskas R., Urbanavičius A. 1997. Paleodemography and population biology studies relating to the Marvelė burial
ground (2nd–7th centuries AD). Acta Biologica Szeged, 42, p. 67–73.
Jatautis Š., Mitokaitė I., Jankauskas R. 2010. Traumas of Vilnius adult males and females in the 16th–17th centuries:
Implications on gender and life style. Papers on Anthropology, 19, p. 110–129. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10044-0100006-z.
Jatautis Š., Mitokaitė I., Jankauskas R. 2011. Analysis of cribra orbitalia in the earliest inhabitants of medieval Vilnius.
Anthropological Review, 74, p. 57–68.
Judd M. A. 2002. Comparison of long bone trauma recording methods. Journal of Archaeological Science, 29, p. 1255–
1265. https://doi.org/10.1006/jasc.2001.0763.
Jurginis J., Merkys V., Tautavičius A. 1968. Vilniaus miesto istorija (Vol. 1). Vilnius: Mintis.
136
STRAIPSNIAI / Justina Kozakaitė et al. Hidden, Unwanted or Simply Forgotten? A Bioarchaeological Profile of the Subačius Street 41 Population
Katalynas K. 2006. Vilniaus plėtra XIV–XVII a. Diemedžio leidykla.
Kelley M. A. 1982. Intervertebral osteochondrosis in ancient and modern populations. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, 59, p. 271– 279. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330590306.
Klaus H. D. 2014. Frontiers in the bioarchaeology of stress and disease: Cross-disciplinary perspectives from pathophysiology,
human biology, and epidemiology. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 55, p. 294–308. https://doi.org/10.1002/
ajpa.22574.
Klaus H. D. 2017. Paleopathological rigor and differential diagnosis: Case studies involving terminology, description, and
diagnostic frameworks for scurvy in skeletal remains. International Journal of Paleopathology, 19, p. 96–110. https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2015.10.002.
Kozakaitė J., Girčius R., Dementavičienė J., Jankauskas R., Piombino-Mascali D. 2018a. Four cases of beheading from
14th–17th century Lithuania. Anthropologischer Anzeiger, 75, p. 243–249. https://doi.org/10.1127/anthranz/2018/0864.
Kozakaitė J. 2018b. Traumos XIII–XVIII a. Lietuvoje bioarcheologiniais duomenimis. Daktaro disertacija. Vilniaus
universitetas.
Kozakaitė J., Jankauskas R. 2013. Ilgųjų kaulų lūžiai ir išnirimai XIV–XVII a. Alytuje. Lietuvos archeologija, 39, p. 73–96.
Larsen C. L. 2015. Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior from the Human Skeleton. Cambridge University Press.
Lewis M. E. 2009. Life and death in a civitas capital: Metabolic disease and trauma in the children from late Roman
Dorchester, Dorset. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 142, p. 405–416. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21239.
Lingström P., Borrman, H. 1999. Distribution of dental caries in an early 17th century Swedish population with special
reference to diet. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 9, p. 395–403. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)10991212(199911/12)9:6<395::aid-oa492>3.0.co;2-z.
Lovejoy C. O., Meindl R. S., Pryzbeck T. R., Mensforth R. P. (1985). Chronological metamorphosis of the auricular
surface of the ilium: A new method for the determination of adult skeletal age at death. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, 68, p. 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330680103.
Lovell N. 1997. Trauma analysis in paleopathology. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 104, p. 139–170.
Lukacs J. R., Nelson G. C., Walimbe S. R. 2001. Enamel hypoplasia and childhood stress in prehistory: New data from
India and Southwest Asia. Journal of Archaeological Science, 28, p. 1159–1169. https://doi.org/10.1006/jasc.1999.0632.
Maat G. 2005. Two millennia of male stature development and population health and wealth in the low countries, International
Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2005, 15, p. 276–290. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.785.
Malčić A. I., Vodanović M., Matijević J., Mihelić D., Mehičić G. P., Krmek S. J. 2011. Caries prevalence and periodontal
status in 18th century population of Požega-Croatia. Archives of Oral Biology, 56, p. 1592–1603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
archoralbio.2011.05.016.
Marques A. C. 2018. A Diachronic Approach to Neoplasms: Skeletal Evidence from The Portuguese Identified Osteological
Collections (19th–20th Centuries). Universidade de Coimbra.
Mays S., Brickley M., Ives R. 2006. Skeletal manifestations of rickets in infants and young children in a historic population
from England. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 129, p. 362–374. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20292.
Meindl R. S., Lovejoy C. O. 1985. Ectocranial suture closure: A revised method for the determination of skeletal age at death
based on the lateral-anterior sutures. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 68, p. 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/
ajpa.1330680106.
Newman S. L., Gowland R. L. 2017. Dedicated followers of fashion? Bioarchaeological perspectives on socio-economic
status, inequality, and health in urban children from the industrial revolution (18th–19th C), England. International
Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 27, p. 217–229. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2531.
Nicklisch N., Nasse D., Ganslmeier R., Alt K. W. 2008. Oral infections and the risk of mortality in the Iron Age. Bulletin –
International Association for Paleodontology, 2, p. 6–13.
Ortner D. J. 2003. Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. Academic Press.
Ortner D. J., Mays S. 1998. Dry-bone manifestations of rickets in infancy and early childhood. International Journal of
Osteoarchaeology, 8, p. 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1212(199801/02)8:1<45::aid-oa405>3.0.co;2-d.
Palubeckaitė Ž., Jankauskas R., Boldsen J. 2002. Enamel hypoplasia in Danish and Lithuanian late medieval / early modern
samples: A possible reflection of child morbidity and mortality patterns. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 12,
p. 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.607.
Pinhasi R., Shaw P., White B., Ogden A. R. 2006. Morbidity, rickets and long-bone growth in post-medieval Britain – a
cross-population analysis. Annals of Human Biology, 33, p. 372–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014460600707503.
Ragauskienė R., Antanavičius D., Burba D. et al. 2006. Vilniaus žemutinė pilis XIV a. – XIX a. pradžioje: 2002–2004 m.
istorinių šaltinių paieškos.
137
ISSN 1392-6748 eISSN 2538-8738 Archaeologia Lituana 20, 2019
Reid D. J., Dean M. C. 2006. Variation in modern human enamel formation times. Journal of Human Evolution, 50, p. 329–
346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.09.003.
Roberts C. A., Buikstra J. E. 2003. The Bioarchaeology of Tuberculosis: A Global Perspective on a eemerging Disease.
University Press of Florida.
Rogers J., Waldron T. 1995. A Field Guide to Joint Disease in Archaeology. J Wiley & Sons.
Rogers J., Waldron T. 2001. DISH and the monastic way of life. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 111, p. 357–
365. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.574.
Rudavica V., Viksna A., Zariņa G., Melne I. 2009. An insight into the bioarchaeology of the medieval inhabitants of Veselava.
Archaeologia Baltica, 12, p. 112–121.
Šapoka A. 2013. Raštai. T. 1. Vilniaus istorija. Edukologija.
Schaefer M., Black S., Scheuer L. 2009. Juvenile Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual. Elsevier.
Šlaus M. 2000. Biocultural analysis of sex differences in mortality profiles and stress levels in the Late Medieval population
from Nova Rača, Croatia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 111, p. 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1002/
(sici)1096-8644(200002)111:2<193::aid-ajpa6>3.0.co;2-0.
Smith B. H. 1984. Patterns of molar wear in hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists. American Journal of Physical Anthropology,
63, p. 39–56. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330630107.
Snoddy A. M. E., Buckley H. R., Elliott G. E., Standen V. G., Arriaza B. T., Halcrow S. E. 2018. Macroscopic features
of scurvy in human skeletal remains: A literature synthesis and diagnostic guide. American Journal of Physical
Anthropology, 167, p. 876–895. ttps://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23699.
Stankevičiūtė J. 2014. Kapinės Vilniuje, Subačiaus gatvėje 41. Archeologiniai tyrinėjimai Lietuvoje 2014 metais, p. 183–
186.
Stankevičiūtė J. 2015. Subačiaus gatvėje 41. Archeologiniai tyrinėjimai Lietuvoje 2015 metais, p. 364–367.
Steane J. 1985. The Archaeology of Medieval England and Wales. London: Routledge.
Steckel H. R. 2004. New light on the “Dark Ages“. The remarkably tall stature of Northean European men during the
Medieval Era“. Social Science History, 28, p. 211–229. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0145553200013134.
Steckel R. H. 2001. Health and Nutrition in the Preindustrial Era: Insights from a Millennium of Average Heights in Northern
Europe. NBER Working Paper Series 8542, p. 1–52. https://doi.org/10.3386/w8542.
Tanner J. M. 1978. Foetus into Man: Physical Growth from Conception to Maturity. Harvard University Press.
Tanner J. M. 1994. Human Growth and Development. S. Jones, R. D. Martin, and D. R. Pilbeam (eds.) The Cambridge
Encyclopedia of Human Evolution. Cambridge University Press, p. 98–105.
Trotter M., Gleser G. C. 1952. Estimation of stature from long bones of American Whites and Negroes. American Journal
of Physical Anthropology, 10, p. 463–514. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330100407.
Varrela T. M. 1991. Prevalence and distribution of dental caries in a late medieval population in Finland. Archives of Oral
Biology, 36, p. 553–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-9969(91)90104-3.
Vėlius G. 2005. Kernavės miesto bendruomenė XIII–XIV amžiuje. Vilniaus universiteto leidykla.
Waldron T. 2009. Paleopathology. Cambridge University Press.
Walker P. L., Bathurst R. R., Richman R., Gjerdrum T., Andrushko V. A. 2009. The causes of porotic hyperostosis and cribra
orbitalia: A reappraisal of the iron-deficiency-anemia hypothesis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 139,
p. 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21031.
Weiss E., Jurmain R. 2007. Osteoarthritis revisited: A contemporary review of aetiology. International Journal of
Osteoarchaeology, 17, p. 437–450.
Weston D. A. 2008. Investigating the specificity of periosteal reactions in pathology museum specimens. American Journal
of Physical Anthropology, 137. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.20839.
138