RT Journal Article
T1 Biological histories of an elite: Skeletons from the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral (NW Spain)
A1 López Costas, Olalla
A1 Müldner, Gundula
A1 Lidén, Kerstin
K1 Apatite
K1 Cathedral documents
K1 Clergyman
K1 Collagen
K1 DISH
AB This study aims to reconstruct the biological histories of the people buried at the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral, an important religious center of NW Spain, by using anthropological, geochemical, and historical perspectives. We conducted a macroscopic and radiographic study on 955 skeletal elements, a multi-isotope (δ13Ccol, δ15N, δ34Scol, δ13Cap, δ18Oap) analysis of human (n = 12) and animal (n = 4) samples, and the study of 1407 documents from the cathedral archives. There was a minimum of 15 individuals, including six subadults (<7 years), seven mature males, and one possible female. Several traumatic healed injuries, a pelvis osteochondroma, and a case of DISH have been detected. Males were enriched in 15N (up to 15.7‰, Δhuman-animal avg = 5.1‰) suggesting consumption of animal protein including freshwater fish. Cathedral documents reflect fora payments in the form of rye, eggs, poultry, sheep, pigs, and eels as well as the hiring of two physicians. All individuals, except one, lived between the 14th and the early 15th centuries and show characteristics of high standard of living. Males were likely members of the cathedral—chaplains, administrators, sacristans, but not bishops—or noblemen relatives of the former according to preserved documents. Isotopic and paleopathological study suggest that they had an active and traveling life and at least one of them had connections with Central Spain. Children were local and possibly connected to the nobility. Lugo Cathedral is a prime example about the possibilities of transdisciplinary research in the identification of lifestyle in past populations
PB Wiley
YR 2021
FD 2021
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/26447
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/26447
LA eng
NO López-Costas, O., Müldner, G., & Lidén, K. (2021). Biological histories of an elite: Skeletons from the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral (NW Spain). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 1– 16. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3011
NO Olalla López-Costas is funded by JIN project (PID2019-111683RJ-I00) Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 de la Fundación BBVA. This work was supported by the projects: Galician Paleodiet (ED481D 2017/014), Consiliencia network (ED 431D2017/08), GPC (ED431B 2018/20) all funded by Xunta de Galicia, and by “Antropoloxía dos restos óseos humanos de Galicia” funded by the Dirección Xeral de Patrimonio Histórico de Galicia
DS Minerva
RD 25 abr 2026