The Medieval Necropolis outside the Eastern Gate of Gamzigrad (Felix Romuliana): A Paleodemographic Interpretation

Abstract

The medieval cemetery was archaeologically investigated between 1981 and 1992. It consisted of 91 graves containing 95 anthropologically identified skeletons. Further anthropological analysis has established 31 reliably or highly likely adult males, 31 reliably or highly likely adult females, 3 poorly preserved and therefore unsexed adult skeletons, and 30 children, most of whom died within the first ten years after birth. From the paleodemographic viewpoint, this would be the necropolis of a single medieval community showing a dearth of children of all age groups, which may be interpreted in several ways, ranging from reduced procreation to inadequate archaeological excavation.