Violence, Survival, and Infection: A Paleopathological Case Study from the Roman Necropolis of Marinelle Vecchie (2nd–3rd Century CE)

Abstract

This study presents the paleopathological analysis of human remains from the Roman necropolis of Marinelle Vecchie (Molise, Italy), dated to the 2nd–3rd centuries CE. Among the examined burials, the individual from tomb T8 shows multiple healed fractures of the forearm, hand, and leg, along with a proximal tibiofibular synostosis, suggestive of survival after high-energy trauma possibly related to interpersonal violence. In addition, destructive lytic lesions on thoracic vertebrae D7 and D8 raise a differential diagnosis between early-stage spinal tuberculosis and brucellar spondylitis, both endemic in the Mediterranean basin during the Classical and Imperial periods.