Overview
- Researchers analyzed 372 infants and 274 adult females from 24 Iron Age and Romano-British sites using a mother–infant framework grounded in the DOHaD hypothesis, with results published in Antiquity.
- Among adults, 81% in urban Roman contexts showed skeletal abnormalities versus 62% in the Iron Age, with no significant difference between Iron Age and rural Roman cohorts.
- For children, pathology rates rose from 26% in the Iron Age to 41% in rural Roman settings and 61% in urban Roman sites.
- The most pronounced declines were identified in the civitas capitals of Venta Belgarum (Winchester) and Corinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester), while rural populations showed no statistical health downturn.
- The authors point to urban stressors such as overcrowding, pollution, lead exposure and new diseases, as outside experts note possible roles for rising social inequality and burial-sample bias.