Michaela Binder1 | Heike Krause2
(1Austrian Archaeological Institute, Head Office Vienna / 2Stadtarchäologie Wien, Vienna, Austria)
Keywords: Skeletal human remains, health, late medieval and early modern period, Vienna
Abstract:
In 2009, parts of the cemetery of the parish church of St. Bartholomew in the 17th district of Vienna (Hernals) were excavated by the Stadtarchäologie Wien prior to the renovation of the square surrounding the church, leading to the discovery of over 300 graves. Historic records indicate that the cemetery was in use from the late middle ages to 1786. A southwards extension of the cemetery and changes in the orientation of the graves make the complex particularly interesting. Consecutive analysis of the artefact assemblage associated with the burials in combination with the death records held in the church archives and the well-preserved human remains allow for detailed insights into life and living conditions of the people living in Hernals, then a village on the outskirts of Vienna.
Based on the death records and finds, the cemetery was used by people across the social spectrum, among them farm workers, artisans, servants and military personnel. Aside from clothing elements such as belts or buttons, the assemblage of objects buried with the individuals comprises religious items including several related to popular belief, pilgrimage and medical purposes. Regardless of the social status, the bioarchaeological analysis of 309 individuals reveals generally poor living conditions due to high frequencies of infectious diseases, such as syphilis and tuberculosis, and nutritional deficiencies including rickets and scurvy. These also resulted in relatively low life expectancy amongst the adults – even though the death records indicate that some people did indeed live into their 90ies.