'Lepers outside the gate'; excavations at the cemetery of the Hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene, Chichester, 1986-87 and 1993. (CD-ROM included).

9781902771748

'Lepers outside the gate'; excavations at the cemetery of the Hospital of St James and St Mary Magdalene, Chichester, 1986-87 and 1993. (CD-ROM included)

Ed. by John Magilton et al.

Council /British Archaeology

2008

294 pages

$80.00

Paperback

Chichester excavations 10; CBA research report 158

RC154

This archaeological report is one of an ongoing series of informative books on excavations of medieval sites in Britain. Covering digs in the late 1980s and 1993, the contributors are drawn from the fields of archaeology, biology and anthropology. The first section of the report is written by the main excavator, John Magilton. He gives the history of the cemetery at Chichester and places the leprosarium in the context of medieval society as well as the way in which the town of Chichester cared for its poor and ill. The circumstances of the excavation are detailed. Then the experts in paleopathology examine the physical evidence of bones, teeth and artifacts. The results are divided by age and pathology. Most of the bones from the leprosarium are of men and show clear signs of the disease. The other part of the cemetery, which was from an almshouse, contains women and children as well as men. The findings indicate various congenital disorders and the results of poverty. An enclosed CD gives further information and charts. The study is well illustrated and the information will be appreciated by historians of the Middle Ages and medicine. Oversize 8.5 x 12.5 " Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co.

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