Ancient Cultures May Have Revered People With Dwarfism And Cleft Palates
Luca Kis/ScienceThe skull of a medieval Hungarian man with a cleft palate who was buried like a hero.
One might assume that people born with conditions such as dwarfism or cleft palates were treated inhumanly in ancient times, but that notion was challenged this year at a workshop for archaeological researchers in Berlin.
In fact, researchers found that in at least some cases, the exact opposite was the case and that people with dwarfism and cleft palates were sometimes revered.
The W.A.R.D. conference (which gathered together 130 professionals who specialized in the study of ancient diseases in an archaeological context) examined ancient communities around the world and found that disabled people generally received remarkable care and support.
In addition to that, researchers also found that these individuals were buried in the same kinds of places as everyone else, lived long lives, and weren’t marginalized as much as modern archaeologists and historians had previously believed.
“This is really the first time people have been confronted with this subject,” said Michael Schultz, a paleopathologist in Germany’s Georg-August University of Göttingen.
A mummy buried around 1200 A.D. by Peru’s Chachapoyas people, for example, was found physically disabled yet buried in extraordinary conditions. The man had a collapsed spine and extreme bone loss — clear signs of leukemia — yet was buried at an esteemed cliffside.
“He had fragile bones, pain in his joints — he wasn’t walking a great deal,” said Marla Toyne of the University of Central Florida in Orlando who excavated the man. “We begin with the individual, but they never live alone. The community was aware of his suffering.”
“And they most likely had to make some accommodations for his care and treatment.”
As bioarchaeologist Anna Pieri stated, it wasn’t just common courtesy that these people received — but reverence.
“They are not considered people with disabilities — they were special,” she said.
After looking at the most significant archaeological discoveries of 2019, take a look at some more of the most fascinating archaeological finds ever. Then, delve deep into the field of archaeology and learn everything there is to know.
