1st century AD tomb with cremated remains and grave goods being excavated
MUNICH, Germany—Phys.org reports that Wolf Rüdiger Tegen of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University has examined more than 1,600 cremated remains unearthed at the Wederath Belgianum cemetery in western Germany. 364 of them lived during the Celtic Iron Age, or La Tène period, between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC. 113 people lived during the early Roman period. and 1,212 people lived until the 2nd century AD, when the area was fully Romanized. Tiegen said the condition of the ruins shows that life expectancy increased over time, reflecting changes in living conditions during Roman times. Overall, more people lived into their 60s during Roman times, but women were still more likely to die early. More than half of the cremations involved women under 40. The study also found that people who lived in the area during Roman times were less likely to experience violence than earlier residents. However, the Romans lost teeth, had problems with their joints and spine, and most likely suffered from sinus infections, probably from inhaling fireplace smoke. The man was more likely to have joint and spinal problems, likely brought on by hard labor, Tiegen said. Finally, the size and condition of the ruins suggest that the Celtic craftsmen were taller and may have been better fed than their neighbors. On the other hand, armed Romans were more likely to be taller and buried with more grave goods than those without weapons buried. Read the original academic paper about this research published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. For more information about the Roman conquest of Germany, see Mostly Untrodden.
