Electric Ladyland. Scientific Analysis of infants and their 'Invisible' Mothers from a Roman Rural скачать в хорошем качестве

Electric Ladyland. Scientific Analysis of infants and their 'Invisible' Mothers from a Roman Rural

Louise Loe (Oxford Archaeology) Between 2019 and 2021 Oxford Archaeology undertook a series of investigations along a c. 8.5 km strip of the Mendip Hills, Somerset, ahead of the installation of underground high-voltage electric cables. The work, which was undertaken for Balfour Beatty, on behalf of National Grid, uncovered rich evidence of Iron Age and Roman activity, including an exceptionally well preserved Roman roadside settlement at Max Mill Lane. This presentation concerns on-going work on the health, relations, origins and funerary practices of mothers and infants, associated with this site. Employing an innovative approach which combines osteology, histology, DNA and isotopes, preliminary findings suggest high neonatal deaths, metabolic disease, and putative genetic relations. Most inspiring is the information which is starting to unfold from the infants about their mothers who are missing from the physical record – the invisible mothers, their health, origins and genetic heritage. This work will be discussed in the context of key themes, such as environmental pollution, infanticide, and the mother-infant nexus.