Naslov
A possible case of treponematosis in a Roman period (1st-6th century AD) skeletal series from Zadar, Croatia

Autori
Novak, Mario

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Abstracts Book of the 18th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association / Teschler-Nicola, Maria ; Baumann, Wilfried - Beč : Naturhistoriches Museum Wien, 2010, 185-185

Skup
18th European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association

Mjesto i datum
Beč, Austrija, 23.08.2010. - 26.08.2010

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Zadar; Roman period; treponematosis

Sažetak
Zadar is located on the eastern Adriatic coast in contemporary Croatia. It was founded as a Roman colony by Caesar in 48 BC. A necropolis containing over 1500 incineration and inhumation burials that was in use from the 1st-6th centuries AD was excavated in 1989/1990 and 2005/2006. The human skeletal remains presented in this report were recovered from an individual inhumation grave that contained the skeleton of a 40 to 50 years old male. Pathological changes were noted on both cranial and postcranial bones, and are most pronounced on the cranium, tibiae and fibulae. The severity and morphology of the analysed lesions point to a chronic and systematic disease, most probably a subspecies of treponematosis - venereal or endemic syphilis. Although both types of treponematoses affect bones, endemic syphilis is mainly found in children, while venereal syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease. Differential diagnosis excluded primary osteomyelitis, acute haematogenous osteomyelitis, traumatic osteomyelitis, leprosy, and tuberculosis. Three theories debating the sources and directions of the spread of treponematoses are current today: 1) the Columbian theory ; 2) the pre-Columbian theory ; 3) the Unitarian theory. If the pathological changes noted in Zadar correspond to endemic syphilis they represent the earliest documented case of this disease in this part of Europe (the first written reports of endemic syphilis in Croatia, the so called ‘‘Škrljevo’’ disease, date to the 18th century). If they represent a form of venereal syphilis than it is obvious that the basic postulates of the Columbian theory will have to be critically reconsidered, particularly as there have been other finds of pre-Columbian syphilis in Europe in recent years.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Arheologija

POVEZANOST RADA