Anthropological research on the urban population inhabiting the city of Iaşi during the medieval period. The 17th century necropolis located on the eastern side of ’’Curtea Domneasca’’

Abstract

This article contains anthropological data regarding a series of 111 human skeletons (discovered in 60 inhumation tombs) unearthed from the medieval necropolis (17th century) located on the eastern side of ’’Curtea Domnească’’ of Iaşi. By analysing each skeleton according to the methodology used in paleoanthropological research, we distinguished a set of biometric and morphological features which signalized in the end the common anthropological features of the group inhumed in this medieval necropolis. We point out that the anthropological research conducted upon 96 adult skeletons (70 males and 26 females) indicates, on average, a population of over-medium height in the case of males and tall in the case of females, with a wide, high and moderately long neurocranium, a brachycephalic cranial index, hypsicranic and metriocranic skullcap, oval metriometope forehead, with intermediate crests and medium-sized occipital bone. The faces are mesoprosope and mesene with mesoconch orbits and mesorrhine noses. The mandibular robustness is moderate in the case of males and reduced in the case of females, while the shaping of the cranial bone is more accentuated at the former. Analyzing the main biometric and morphological indicators, we established that the primary background for this population group can be defined as dinarico-mediteranido, with secondary Alpinoid, Nordoid and East-Europoid influences.

Keywords

• paleoanthropological analysis
• necropolis
• 17th century
• mortality
• biometric features