The case of the pregnant woman from the medieval site of “Preko Slatine” in Omoljica

Abstract

The paper presents the case of the pregnant woman discovered at the medieval necropolis of “Preko Slatine” in Omoljica, a village near Pančevo. The necropolis is dated to the period of the 12th-13th century AD. It deals with a woman aged 25-30 (probably around 28 years old) in the advanced stages of pregnancy, discovered in grave No. 13. This paper presents the possible conditions that led to the death of this woman, but also the problems faced by anthropologists when they attempt to resolve individual cases like this. In paleodemographic research, the mortality rate of pregnant woman is an important element of a population’s progress. Pregnant woman mortality is considered an adequate criterion for the social and sanitation conditions of a community and a sensitive indicator of health care and, sometimes, the skill level possessed by midwives or doctors. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III 45005: Functional, functionalized and advanced nano materials, Grant no. 177007: Romanization, urbanization and transformation of urban centers of civil, military and residential character in Roman provinces on the territory of Serbia and Grant no. 177021: Urbanization processes and development of medieval society]

Keywords

• South-western Banat
• Medieval necropolis
• 12th-13th century AD
• advanced pregnancy