modern tomb section ancient tomb complex › ~stephens › monkintro.pdf · byzantine...

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Byzantine St. Stephen’s MonasteryByzantine St. Stephen’s Monastery Damascus Gate/Old CityDamascus Gate/Old City

Modern Tomb SectionModern Tomb Section Ancient Tomb ComplexAncient Tomb Complex

Bone RepositoryBone Repository

Burial Bench& Repository

Primary BurialsPrimary Burials

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BIOLOGYBIOLOGYBIOLOGY

HISTORYHISTORYHISTORY

ARCHAEOLOGYARCHAEOLOGYARCHAEOLOGY

BIOCULTURALMODELBIOCULTURALBIOCULTURALMODELMODEL

The Biocultural ModelThe Biocultural Model

regional comparisons

pilgrimage accounts

legal & medical documents

liturgical recordsart & iconography

migration patterns

Byzantine Sources/VisitorsByzantine Sources/Visitors

< Cyril of Scythopolis< Procopius< Cyril of Alexandria< Melania “the Younger”< Empress Eudocia< Juvenalis< Eucharius, Bishop of Lyon< Peter the Iberian< Theodosius< Anastasius< Sabas< Gabriellius< Antonin< Arculf< Pilgrim of Piacenza< Evagrius Scholasticus

Theological SignificanceTheological Significance

< built to honor the protomartyrStephen

< major site of pilgrimage due tomiracles associated withStephen

< part of the Armenian liturgicalcycle, octave of Epiphany

< largest church complex in the HolyLand for ~100 years

< largest monastic revolt of 516 toaccept the Council of Chalcedon

< last church structure built byEudocia

“…the archbishop summoned allthe monks to the holy cityovernight…the total came to tenthousand monks. Since no churchcould hold so great acongregation, it was decided thatall should assemble at the churchof the holy protomartyr Stephen,which was capacious enough toreceive the multitude…”

Cyril of ScythopolisCyril of Scythopolis

Cyril of Scythopolis: The Lives of the Monks of Palestine. Tr. RMPrice, Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1991, p. 161.





tomb typology

artifacts

radiocarbon dates

site excavation

regional excavations

cemetery layout

The Archaeological RecordThe Archaeological Record Archaeological Evidence at SiteArchaeological Evidence at Site

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Artifacts from Crypt ComplexArtifacts from Crypt Complex

Oil lamps w/burnt rims

Broken glassware

Byzantine designs

Nails/spikes

Iron cross

Painted pottery

Fluoride AnalysisFluoride Analysis

Julie Sansoni --Almond farmer

Julie Sansoni --Almond farmer




BIOCULTURALMODELBIOCULTURALBIOCULTURALMODELMODELpaleopathology

occupational stresschildhood adaptability

dietstaturedemography

The Biological RecordThe Biological Record The Skeletal CollectionThe Skeletal Collection

Jennifer Richtsmeier --veterinarian

Rebeccah Sanders --Ph.D., anthropology

Aspects of Daily LifeAspects of Daily Life

< How many individuals lived in thecommunity?

< How many men? How many women?

< How long did they live?

< How tall were they?

< What can be reconstructed about dailyactivity patterns related to health,hygiene, diet, “occupational stress”?

Bone Left Rightprox dist prox dist

Ulna 86 35 81 47Humerus 35 93 38 72Radius 64 51 62 46Femur 100 109 93 88Talus 91 96Calcaneus 104 103Temporal 76 77Innominates 46 42

Minimum Number of Individuals

How Many In Community?How Many In Community?

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How Old Were They?How Old Were They?

n % n %Cranium

Size of the browridge 81 77 95.1 4 4.9Size of the mastoid process 99 90 90.9 9 9.1Size of the nuchal crest 71 64 90.1 7 9.9Temporal line 62 61 98.4 1 1.6Robusticity of the mandible 88 87 98.9 1 1.1

HumerusHumeral head diameter (vertical) 38 27 71.1 11 28.9Robusticity of the deltoid tuberosity 106 103 97.2 3 2.8

FemurFemoral head diameter (vertical) 94 59 62.8 35 37.2Robusticity of the linea apera 161 155 96.3 6 3.7Bicondylar width 85 58 68.2 27 31.8

InnominateShape of the pubic bone 36 32 88.9 4 11.1Sciatic notch size and shape 17 13 76.5 4 23.5Auricular surface height 49 37 75.5 12 24.5Acetabulum size and shape 47 46 97.9 1 2.1

SacrumSacrum width and curvature 38 37 97.4 1 2.6

Sex Determination for the St. Stephen's Collection Using Metric and Non-metric Skeletal Markers

Male FemaleFeatures Total

How Many Men? Women?

How Tall & Robust Were They?How Tall & Robust Were They? Size ComparisonsSize Comparisons

Forensic ProfileForensic Profile

< Over 15,000 skeletal elements

< 99% of sexable remains are male

< Average height was between 5’6” and 5’8”with several significant outliers

< Adults lived on average into their mid 40s

< Approximately 1/3 of remains aresubadult







Dead Sea Scrolls

Pliny the Elder

Babatha archives

Philo of AlexandriaFlavius Josephus

tomb typology

artifacts

radiocarbon dates

site excavation


cemetery layout

Daily Activity Patterns?Daily Activity Patterns?

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Daily Activity Patterns?Daily Activity Patterns?

< Kneeling

< Odd ArmPathology

< UnusualDental WearPatterns

Osteophyticlipping of femoralcondyle

Femoral Condyle PathologiesFemoral Condyle Pathologies

Eburnation ofpatellar articularsurface

PlantarAponeurosis

Achille’sTendon

Calcaneous PathologiesCalcaneous Pathologies Kneeling For ???Kneeling For ???





The Biocultural ModelThe Biocultural Model

regional comparisons

pilgrimage accounts

legal & medical documents

liturgical recordsart & iconography

migration patterns

"Without taking any rest, but stayingawake all night long in vigil and doinggenuflections in her chapel shedeparted the next morning very early intears in order that freed from the worldshe could live the rest of her life insolitude."

LIFE OF MELANIA(Vita Melaniae. SC 90, 135-137)

Genuflection QuoteGenuflection Quote

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“By day I would carefully observe the ruleof prayer... and at night I would go to prayin the cave where the saintly Theodosiusand the other holy fathers were buried.As I went down into the cave, I wouldmake a hundred prostrations to God ateach step...there were 18 steps."

JOHN MOSCHUS - SPIRITUAL MEADOW (Prat. Spir. 105, CS 139.83 [PG 87.3.2961-64])

Genuflection QuoteGenuflection Quote

“The early centuries of the Christian empire...emphasized the new attitudes towardssickness and suffering, which combine theStoic doctrines of indifference to the pains ofthe body with the idea of nobility of sufferingand of, in some way, it being a test of one’sfaith.Suffering is to be more than endured, it isalmost welcome.”

Nutton, Vivian. 1984. “From Galen to Alexander…” DumbartonOaks Papers, 38:8.

Suffering & PietySuffering & Piety

Childhood Health & AdaptabilityChildhood Health & Adaptability

< Young oblates?

‡Numerous young females

‡A significant number ofsubadults were under 3years old

< School?

< Orphanage?‡Dental features show

they were likely fromthe region

Childhood Health & AdaptabilityChildhood Health & Adaptability

Moderate number ofenamel hypoplasias

No real way toexamine cribraorbitalia

Your ContributionYour Contribution

< Demographics

< Stature/Robusticity

< Daily Activity Patterns

< Health

< Diet

< Migration







Dead Sea Scrolls

Pliny the Elder

Babatha archives

Philo of AlexandriaFlavius Josephus

tomb typology

artifacts

radiocarbon dates

site excavation


cemetery layout

The Biocultural RecordThe Biocultural Record

modern tomb section ancient tomb complex › ~stephens › monkintro.pdf · byzantine...

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