Secrets of an ancient cemetery revealed: how the transition from the Iron Age to Rome changed people's lives

Professor Wolf-Rüdiger Tegen from the University of Munich has published a study in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology that provides new insights into how daily life in the Travers tribal territory changed during the transition from the Celtic Iron Age (La Tène period) to the Roman period.

The research has centred on the only known Celto-Roman cemetery, Vederath-Belginum, in modern-day Germany. Since 1954, excavations have uncovered more than 2500 cremations and 15 non-cremation burials. However, due to the destruction of some burials prior to excavation, the cemetery originally contained over 4800 graves.

Key Findings

• Life expectancy: During the Roman period people began to live longer, with an increase in the number of those living to the age of 60 and beyond.

• Female mortality: In both periods, women died younger than men; more than half of female cremations were before the age of 40.

• Violence and disease: Signs of violence are found only in Iron Age people, indicating a decline in conflict in Roman times. However, cases of tooth loss, joint and spinal diseases, and sinusitis increased during the Roman period.

• Division of labour: Degenerative changes of the spine were more common in men due to heavy physical labour. Sinusitis was more common among women and children, probably due to exposure to smoke from open fires in homes.

Social and cultural changes

• Status and prestige: People of high social standing received more food during their lifetime and richer burial gifts. In the Iron Age, artisans were better fed and taller, and in the Roman period, armed men were more valued.

• Children and infants: Infants and children were under-represented in burials, perhaps because of cultural traditions not to bury them in communal cemeteries or because of poor preservation of the remains.

Changes in animal husbandry and rituals

• Sacrifices: The species composition and number of animals in sacrifices changed. More advanced methods of cutting meat were used in the Roman period, and livestock became larger due to improvements in agriculture.

• Roman customs: The large number of cattle and sheep remains may be related to the Roman rite of suovetaurilia, which included the sacrifice of a bull, ram and pig.