A Bayesian Approach to Ageing Perinatal Skeletal Material from Archaeological Sites: Implications for the Evidence for Infanticide in Roman-Britain

Gowland, R.L.; Chamberlain, A.T.

Abstract

The skeletal remains of substantial numbers of perinatal human infants have been excavated from within a variety of archaeological contexts dating to the Romano-British period. It has been argued that the distribution of ages at death of these infants, which appears to exhibit a pronounced neonatal peak, provides evidence for infanticide. This study re-evaluates the osteological evidence for infanticide in Roman Britain by first identifying biases in traditional techniques for estimating the age of perinatal skeletons and then using a Bayesian procedure to reassess the ages at deaths of almost 400 infants from a number of Roman sites throughout England. We conclude that the apparent peak in neonatal mortality shown by earlier investigations is an artefact of regression-based age estimation. The distribution of ages at death in Romano-British infants is similar to a natural mortality profile.

Citation

Gowland, R., & Chamberlain, A. (2002). A Bayesian Approach to Ageing Perinatal Skeletal Material from Archaeological Sites: Implications for the Evidence for Infanticide in Roman-Britain. Journal of Archaeological Science, 29(6), 677-685. https://doi.org/10.1006/jasc.2001.0776

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2002
• Deposit Date: Jun 26, 2009
• Journal: Journal of Archaeological Science
• Print ISSN: 0305-4403
• Electronic ISSN: 1095-9238
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 677-685
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jasc.2001.0776
• Keywords: Bayes' Theorum, Mortality, Roman, Infant.
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1553402