A groundbreaking study of 500 medieval skeletons from Cambridge, England, has shed new light on the lives of ordinary people during the Black Death. These "bone biographies" offer a rare glimpse into the hardships, diets, illnesses, and resilience of those who lived through one of history's deadliest pandemics.
Reconstructing Lives Through Bones
The skeletons, unearthed in archaeological digs since the 1970s, date back to between 1000 and 1500. Using advanced techniques like radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, researchers reconstructed the lives of 16 individuals, revealing their unique stories. This approach, called osteobiography, creates a detailed narrative of a person’s existence based on their skeletal remains.“Osteobiographies allow us to explore the lives of ordinary people, the ones history has largely forgotten,” explained Professor John Robb of Cambridge University. Unlike the well-documented lives of elites, the focus on common townsfolk fills significant gaps in historical knowledge.
Cambridge During the Black Death
In the 14th century, Cambridge was a bustling medieval town of a few thousand residents. The Black Death arrived in 1348–1349, wiping out 40% to 60% of the population. Yet the survivors’ stories, as told through their bones, reveal a town marked by resilience, community, and stark social divisions.
The study primarily focused on burials from Cambridge’s Hospital of St. John the Evangelist, the All Saints by the Castle parish church, and the Augustinian Friary. Together, these burial sites captured a cross-section of medieval society, from scholars and friars to merchants and the impoverished.
Stories of Survival and Suffering
Through detailed analysis, researchers pieced together compelling narratives about individuals who lived centuries ago. Among them were:
Anne: A woman who endured repeated injuries, leaving her hobbling on a shortened right leg.
Eudes: A friar with a rich diet that led to gout, reflecting the indulgence of his social status. Edmund: A man afflicted with leprosy who, surprisingly, lived among the general population and was buried in a rare wooden coffin. One particularly moving story is that of Wat, who survived the plague and later died of cancer as an older man. Wat lived at the Hospital of St. John, a charitable institution that provided the poor and infirm with food, shelter, and dignity in their final years.
“Medieval Cambridge was a sea of need,” said Robb. The hospital, established in 1195, served as a medieval welfare system, but its limited resources meant only a select few were admitted.
Insights Into Medieval Life
The bones revealed the harsh realities of life in medieval England. For instance, half of those buried in the All Saints cemetery did not survive childhood. Many children showed signs of anemia, injury, and diseases like tuberculosis.
Yet, life at the hospital could transform people’s final years. Improved diets and care led to better health among long-term residents, like Maria, who suffered from tuberculosis but lived up to a decade in the hospital.
In contrast, the friars at the Augustinian Friary enjoyed better health and nutrition. Standing an inch taller on average than the townspeople, their diet included meat and fish, a stark disparity reflecting their privileged position.
Even early scholars of the University of Cambridge left their mark in the burial records. Unlike townsmen with heavily developed arms from manual labor, these individuals had skeletal traits suggesting a life of study and relative comfort. However, scholars often faced poverty and poor health later in life without the institutional support afforded to religious clergy.
Global Connections: A Traveler’s Tale
One skeleton, belonging to Christiana, reveals the far-reaching connections of medieval Cambridge. Bone chemistry analysis suggests she traveled from as far as Norway, possibly for trade or to attend the famed Stourbridge Fair, one of England’s largest. Although her life ended during her visit, she was buried in the hospital’s cemetery, highlighting medieval practices of charity and community.
The Lasting Impact of Disease
While the Black Death claimed thousands of lives, chronic illnesses like tuberculosis and gastrointestinal infections had an even greater long-term impact. Everyday diseases, often compounded by poor living conditions, took a heavy toll on medieval populations.
For example, Dickon, who succumbed to the Black Death within days, was buried with care by his community, reflecting the enduring humanity amidst the crisis.
A Window Into the Past
This five-year project, titled After the Plague, not only uncovers the lives of those who survived or succumbed to the Black Death but also enriches our understanding of medieval society. By humanizing the past through osteobiographies, researchers have provided an intimate look at the resilience and struggles of people who lived centuries ago.
“Ordinary lives are often overlooked in history, but they tell us the most about the world as it was,” Robb noted.
These bone biographies offer a powerful reminder of the shared humanity that connects us across the ages, even in the face of unimaginable hardship.