Cemetery study reveals how daily life changed from the Iron Age to the Roman period

A study by Prof. Dr. Wolf-Rüdiger Teegen, published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, provides new insights into how the average human behavior in the tribal territory of Treveri changed as it transitioned from the Celtic Iron Age (La Tène Period) to Roman times.

By focusing on the only known Celtic-Roman cemetery, Wederath-Belginum, the study gained new perspectives on the complexity of human mortality and animal offerings.

The cemetery of Wederath-Belginum was first excavated in 1954 and has since undergone multiple investigations leading to the discovery of over 2,500 cremation remains (cremains) and 15 inhumations. However, considering a significant number of burials had likely been destroyed prior to the 1954 excavation, the cemetery originally would have held over 4,800 burials.

The lack of preserved bones within the 15 inhumations can be partially ascribed to poor preservation conditions in the area, says Prof. Dr. Teegen, “It has to be noted that bone and teeth preservation is quite difficult in the civitas Treverorum. This is due to the geological structure consisting of extended areas covered by sandstone or by slate. This leads to the formation of acidic soil, which is unfavorable for the preservation of un-cremated bone.

“This is not only true for extended rural areas, but also for burials in sarcophagi, mostly carved out of sandstone. Several late Roman sarcophagus burials from Augusta Treverorum and its surroundings are, therefore, badly preserved. On the other hand, fortunately, cremations are mostly well-preserved.”

A total of 1,689 cremains were dated and studied, and they were categorized as belonging to one of three time periods: 364 to the La Tène Period, 113 to early Roman, and 1212 to the Imperial Roman period.

According to Prof. Dr. Teegen, analysis of the cremations provided the following insights: “The cremains clearly document the changing living conditions at Wederath/Belginum between the middle/late La Tène Period and Roman times. The average life span and the life expectancy of the population shows a slight increase. Sex differences in mortality, however, persisted.”

On average, individuals lived longer during the Roman Period than during the Iron Age, with far more cases of individuals reaching the age of 60 and above.

However, during both the Iron Age and Roman Period, females were more likely to die younger than their male counterparts, with over half the cremations for both the Iron Age and Roman Period representing females below 40 years of age.

It was also discovered that only Iron Age individuals showed signs of violence, likely the result of brawls, indicating that conflict was less common during Roman times.

While Roman individuals were less likely to have experienced violence in their lives and tended to live longer, they were also more likely to grapple with pathologies that included tooth loss, degenerative joints and spines, as well as sinusitis. It is not possible to say definitively if this increase in pathologies is directly linked to an increase in the average age of the population or due to physiological stress.

However, it is noted that changes in the spine were three times more likely to occur in males than females, likely caused by intense physical labor. This observation shows evidence of labor division, with males being relegated to the more physically demanding tasks, leading to certain changes in their spine.

Similarly, sinusitis may have been more prevalent due to inadequate heating in the winter and consistently breathing in the fumes of an open hearth, which can lead to respiratory problems. Such conditions were likely to be more prevalent among females and children who spent much more time in the kitchen than males.

Additionally, changes in status and prestige were also observed; in general, people of higher social standing received more food in life and grave goods in death. With this in mind, it was noted that Celtic artisans were taller and, therefore, better fed in life compared to their contemporaries. By contrast, Roman individuals gave higher regard to armed men who were generally taller and had more extensive grave goods.

Infants and neonates (babies below 28 days of age) were determined to be underrepresented, with an estimated 649 missing burials. This number increased to 1,000 when the destroyed graves were taken into account. This deficit was attributed to poor preservation, grave destruction, and the cultural practice described by Plinius the Elder of not burying infants in cemeteries, but rather in settlements.

Animal-related practices, including species diversity, butchering practices, and even animal husbandry, were also found to change.

During Roman times, a more advanced technique of butchering was employed, in which the spine was sawed through the middle, while the La Tène Period preferred to separate the meat from the bone by cutting at the area where the spine and ribs met.

Similarly, it was found that cattle grew larger and had more muscle mass during Roman times, likely due to changes in breeding and farming techniques.

Even the species and number of animal offerings changed as the Iron Age people transitioned into the Roman Period, as detailed by Prof. Dr. Teegen. “In La Tène burials, the number of burials with ovicaprines [sheep/goat] and cattle have been found to decrease over time, whereas the number of burials with pigs shows an increase. Since the late middle La Tène Period, chicken is seen to be present in approximately 12% of the burials. With time, the number of species also increased. However, the percentage of burials with animals decreased.”

The many cattle and ovicaprine remains further led to speculations that these may be the result of the Roman festival of suovetaurilia, says Prof. Dr. Teegen,

‘”From the Roman literature and iconography, the so-called saurovitaurilia [sic] are known. It was a procession around the sacral settlement borders, in the form of a (festively decorated) bull, ram, and boar accompanied by priests.

“At the end, followed the sacrifice of these animals at an altar of Mars. Selected parts were burnt and, therefore, given to the god, while the rest were eaten by the cult community. The skins went to the shrine or the priesthood. In the temples of the Civitas Treverorum, cattle, ovicaprids, are nearly always present (exception: Oberlöstern). The consistency of these species could be an indication for the saurovitaurilia [sic] sacrifice.”

Further research will likely shed more light on various aspects of life and human behavior changes during this transitional period.

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