Estudio de los restos óseos de las necrópolis tardorromanas, calle Era y La Molineta, del puerto de Mazarrón, Murcia

Abstract

The bone remains whose study is presented here come from two Late Roman burial grounds, Calle Era and La Molineta, located in Puerto de Mazarrón and dated to the 4th-6th centuries AD. The sample size is of 218 individuals, 59 from Calle Era (40 adults and 19 juveniles) and 159 from La Molineta (93 adults and 66 juveniles). The state of preservation of these remains is rather heterogeneous. In both populations, a majority of individuals had an age at death between 17 and 35. Analysis of oral pathologies suggests a mixed diet, including marine resources and agricultural products. At Calle Era, all cases of caries, fistula (abscess cavity), ante mortem tooth loss and major dental wear come from multiple burial 24, which contained 31 individuals. The diet from this group seems to be distinct, with a higher component of cariogenic products. In the bone remains of both populations no indications (trauma or osteoarticular alterations caused by excessive effort) of work activities (mining, fishing or agriculture) so intense as to cause skeletal modification. The trace element analysis of the bone remains indicates that, at both sites, bone underwent diagenetic exchange with the burial environment, precluding the utilization of the evidence for dietary reconstruction. The action of inhibitors and the degradation of DNA give a low level of reliability to the results obtained with the amelogenin test used for the determination of sex.