BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LATE ANTIQUE SKELETONS FROM THE OREŠAC – LUKA II SITE

Orešac (Bolentio) is situated near Suhopolje in the Virovitica‒Podravina County. Based on the various finds, the site is dated between the 1st and 4th centuries. Archaeological excavations are conducted since the 80s of the 20th century, however the skeletal material studied in this paper derive from the excavations carried in the 1997 by the Institute of Archaeology under the guide of T. Sekelj Ivančan. For the purpose of the analysis the following pathologies were observed: cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia, non specific periostitis, caries, alveolar pathologies, Schmorl’s nodes, osteoarthritis on vertebrae and joints, benign cortical defects and estimation of height. Relatively low frequencies of the biological and physical stress recorded among the analysed individuals suggest better quality of life in comparison to other late antique populations. Since the obtained results refer only to a small part of the excavated cemetery, further excavations and anthropological analyses are needed in order to supplement the existing knowledge and receive new information about the population that lived in the area of today’s Orešac