The Work Done in Rome by Children and Adolescents: Hypothesis Based on the Anthropological Analysis of Three Suburban Necropolises of the Imperial Age.

Abstract

We analyzed 95 non-adult individuals from three Imperial Roman burial grounds to explore the child labour in ancient Rome. The necropolis’ analysed are Casal Bertone, Castel Malnome, and Lucrezia Romana, characterised by three different subsistence economy patterns. Considering the total sample, 69.5% of individuals have enthesopathies attributable to work commitments of medium severity. Specifically, individuals from Casal Bertone and Castel Malnome were the most affected in the scapular girdle, which is consistent with the activities carried out in the Fullery (fullonica) and the salt plains, respectively. Conversely, the enthesopathic alterations in Lucrezia Roman seem to be attributable to agricultural works.