Anthropological Analysis Of Human Skeletons From Gobelsburg, Lower Austria

Anthropological examination of the burials recovered at Gobelsburg, Lower Austria, revealed a total of seven individuals: three males, one female and three subadults. Palaeo-pathological investigations have shown features of periodontal disease and deficiencies of vitamin-C and iron; the latter is indicated by new bone formations (periostitis) on the long bones as well as porotic changes on the cranial vault (porotic hyperostosis). Occupation-induced musculo- skeletal stress markers (enthesopathies) are indicative of heavy physical work; the formation of a "rider's bone" at the proximal femur points to a particular continuous activity (horseback riding). Moreover, a single traumatic incident, a supination fracture suffered by the male recovered from grave 4, implies a further particular life-historical event. Based on rarely observed (genetically fixed) features of the upper incisors and other epigenetic skeletal traits, a familial relationship between the males and the subadult individual (grave 3) can be suspected.