Unraveling the Motives behind Multiple Burial in St. Rombout's Cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, Tenth–Eighteenth Centuries A.D

The numerous multiple burials found in St. Rombout's parish cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, dating from the tenth to eighteenth centuries A.D., raise questions about the circumstances of their construction. Simultaneous burial generally indicates an unusual mortality. This study explores possibl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioarchaeology international 2018-09, Vol.2 (3), p.255-282
Main Author: Van de Vijver, Katrien
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
18th century
Archaeology
Cemeteries
Mortality
Physical anthropology
Socioeconomic factors
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Summary:The numerous multiple burials found in St. Rombout's parish cemetery in Mechelen, Belgium, dating from the tenth to eighteenth centuries A.D., raise questions about the circumstances of their construction. Simultaneous burial generally indicates an unusual mortality. This study explores possible circumstances of death to establish whether socioeconomic factors influenced the selection of individuals. A multidisciplinary approach associating the archaeological context with demographic and pathological data was used to examine possible motives for simultaneous burial. Two groups of multiple burials were selected, which were distinguished by their location in the cemetery and the number of phases of deposition and orientation. One group was radiocarbon-dated to the second half of the fifteenth-early seventeenth century and the other to after A.D. 1640. The multiple burials were compared with each other and with contemporaneous single burials. Differences between the groups suggest different circumstances of death, although a macroscopic study did not reveal specific causes. While elevated mortality caused the construction of multiple burials, selection of individuals was influenced by socioeconomic background. The high number of adolescents and young adults, mostly male, differed from a natural mortality profile and from the single burials. Individuals from multiple burials showed a higher prevalence of growth disturbances, mechanical stress from a young age, and pathological lesions. The earlier group could be associated with abrupt mortality crises, while the later group may be associated with a Spanish military hospital.
ISSN:2472-8349
2472-8357
DOI:10.5744/bi.2018.1027