Neonate human remains from Gayton Thorpe Roman Villa Site, Norfolk Dr. Hilary Snelling February 2011 Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................1 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................1 Results .............................................................................................................................................2 Age of Neonate ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Sex of Neonate.............................................................................................................................................. 3 Pathology ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 Discussion........................................................................................................................................4 Neonate bones from Roman villa sites ......................................................................................................... 4 Infanticide ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................5 Figures.............................................................................................................................................6 Figure 1. Right and Left Femur. Scale in 10 mm increments. ......................................................................6 Figure 2. Right arm bones. Scale in 10 mm increments. ..............................................................................6 Figure 3. Mandible. Scale in 10 mm increments. .........................................................................................7 Figure 4. Tooth crown formation in-situ of mandible. No Scale shown.......................................................7 Figure 5. Ilia. Scale in 10 mm increments. ...................................................................................................8 Tables ..............................................................................................................................................9 Table 1. Neonate bone summary...................................................................................................................9 Table 2. Neonate bone measurements.........................................................................................................11 References.....................................................................................................................................12 Introduction In the summer of 2006, the re-evaluation of a Roman Villa (first excavated 1922-23) at Gayton Thorpe, Norfolk, uncovered infant human remains. These remains were found in context 3743, below the floor level of the South Block of the villa. The remains were allocated finds number 47 and were bagged on site and loosely cleaned. Methodology Full recording of the bones was carried out in April 2010. The remains were cleaned of residue soil using a soft brush and re-bagged to remove loose particles. Each element was identified using human remains methodology following Bass (1995) with relevant measurements taken as per Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994). Although restoration of human bone is not desirable, this was carried out on both left and right ribs using UHU glue to aid side identification. An estimation of age at death was undertaken using spreadsheet analysis created by the author in 2001 based on methodology of long bone length measurements as per Scheuer et al (1980) regression models using London University Institute of Child Health (ICH) data. Tooth crown appearance was also considered using the same spreadsheet with methodology as per Buikstra and Ubelaker (1995) ; Gustafson and Koch (1974); Mays (1998) and Schwartz (1995). Age is presented in weeks in-utero (i.u.), although an age of 38-40 i.u can be considered full term, or at birth. Although methodology is still very uncertain an estimation of sex was evaluated as per Schutkowski (1993). H Snelling 2011 Page 1 of 14 Results Analysis of the remains shows that a single human neonate was recovered from this context. Overall the bone was in good condition and anatomically very complete. Although some hand and foot bones are missing, no extra sieving of associated soil was carried out prior to recording as facilities were not available and this admission was not considered significant to the analysis. Table 1 details the number and condition of the bones recovered, as per the following fields: Element: The name of bone ; Side: Left (L), Right (R), Mid-line bones, with no discernable Left or Right, or where Left and Right have fused (L+R) or Undetermined (U) for fragmented bone ; Count: The number of elements recovered, Fragments are indicated by (F) ; Preservation: 1 for complete bone in good condition, 2 for incomplete, damaged bone, 3 for bone in poor condition. Relevant notes on preservation and recovery are included in footnotes. Long bone measurements were recorded as shown in Table 2. Measurements were not possible for the left Radius, Ulna, Tibia or Fibula and a estimation was taken for the right femur due to the post mortem break. An estimation of foetal age as per Scheuer et al (1980) was determined from the right long bone lengths, as the left side was too incomplete to use. Complete long bones are shown in Figures 1 and 2. Age of neonate The estimated age of the neonate from long bone length is 39 ± 6 weeks using right leg and arm bones. This is a large range of uncertainty, and when the leg bones only are considered this margin is decreased to 39 ± 3 weeks. The left femur alone also gives an estimated age of 39 ± 3 weeks. Although an error of uncertainty exists in this estimation, it is considered than the mean age represents a neonate of full term. An estimation of age from tooth crown formation shows greater uncertainty, however mineralisation of the mandibular canine and first and second molars suggest a minimum age of 36 weeks in utero and a maximum of one month after birth. This estimation of age from H Snelling 2011 Page 2 of 14 tooth crown formation is consistent with that from the long bone length, being that of a full term neonate. Sex of neonate Mandibular and ilium morphology suggest that the infant was possibly female although this can not be expressed with any certainty. This uncertainty is not unexpected as sexing of female infants has been shown to produce a higher level of inaccuracy of females than males (Scheuer, 2002). When compared to the examples of identification of sex by ilium morphology from Romano-British infants from Poundbury (Molleson, 1993, Plate 56), the Gayton Thorpe ilia appear to most closely match those identified as females through the shape of the sciatic notch. Figures 3 to 5 show mandible and ilium morphology. Pathology No evidence of pathological conditions were evident on the bone. H Snelling 2011 Page 3 of 14 Discussion Neonate bones from Roman villa sites Gowland and Chamberlain (2002) recognise that burial of human infants took place in non- cemetery inhumations between the end of the 2nd Century AD and the beginning of the 4th Century AD, this shows consistency with the burial at Gayton Thorpe. Other examples of neonate bones from Roman-British villa sites include those from Winterton (Denston, 1976) and Rudston (Bayley, 1980). The original long bone measurements from these sites were re- assessed by Snelling (2006) in a comparison of mortality rates with those of infants found in pits at Silchester Insula IX. In agreement with the original analyse infants of full term mortality were considered present at both sites and hence the Gayton Thorpe neonate is considered not to be unique in either age or context. The reasons for burial associated with buildings is not certain and may be through practical means of disposal, or because it was a practiced burial rite to do so, for either still born or for live birth babies which died before full burial rites were permissible. Scott (1991) discusses different practices of infant deposits at Roman villa sites and finds some link to animal burials and agricultural processing. The remains of the Gayton Thorpe infant were not however found in an agricultural context, being recovered from within the residential complex. This however may not be inconsistent with Scott’s findings as she recognises the agricultural association to be a feature of later Roman villa / farmhouse sites. The excavation trench in which the Gayton Thorpe infant was discovered was situated in the hope of recovering further evidence of a mosaic floor said to have been identified by the original excavator in the 1920s. However, no evidence of this floor was found to exist in 2006. If the report of the earlier excavation is correct then the infant would have been placed in the ground and the mosaic floor laid, at some point, over the top. No clear association can be made between the infant deposit and the possible mosaic floor however. Infanticide Of particular interest in the occurrence of infant bones