Life in Suleiman’s Army: Preliminary Investigations of Health in an Ottoman Cemetery Site

In recent years, analyses of human skeletal remains have significantly contributed to our understanding of the past. A cemetery collection of 160 skeletons from the 16th and 17th centuries excavated from the city center of Timişoara, Romania have provided a rare opportunity to study a brief, tumultuous time when the Ottoman Empire extended into Central Europe. The inhumations, representative of the Ottoman population that relocated into the fortified city center after Turkish expansion, provide insight into the composition and health of this military group. Preliminary research on more complete inhumations was conducted in the spring of 2015. Biological profiles indicate a larger percentage of males than females, unsurprising results for a garrison town. Preliminary pathological investigations highlight a wide range of pathological insults on the skeletal remains relating to trauma and disease, as well as non-specific indicators of stress. Future research will solidify conclusions but initial results indicate a stressful time for those responsible for the day-to-day operations of the empire’s borderlands. While it is rarely denied that colonization results in deleterious health effects for conquered populations, this study may indicate biological impacts on the conquerors as well.近年来，人类骨骼遗骸分析对我们认知古代历史起到了重要推动作用。本次研究的样本为罗马尼亚蒂米什瓦拉市中心出土的16至17世纪墓葬遗骸，共计160例，为探究奥斯曼帝国扩张至中欧的短暂动荡时期提供了难得的契机。这批土葬遗骸代表了土耳其扩张后迁入该设防市中心的奥斯曼人口群体，为解析这一军事群体的构成与健康状况提供了有效视角。2015年春季，研究团队针对保存更为完整的遗骸开展了初步研究。生物学特征分析显示，男性个体占比显著高于女性，这一结果对于驻军城镇而言并不意外。初步病理研究发现，这些骨骼遗骸存在大量与创伤、疾病相关的病理损伤，以及非特异性的应激指征。后续研究将进一步巩固现有结论，但初步结果表明，负责帝国边境日常运维的群体彼时正经历着沉重的生存压力。尽管学界普遍认可殖民活动会对被征服群体造成有害的健康影响，但本研究或可揭示殖民行为对征服者群体同样存在生物学层面的影响。