THE ŠTRBINCI SKELETAL SERIES IN CONTEXT OF OTHER LATE ANTIQUESKELETAL SERIES FROM CONTINENTAL CROATIA

The purpose of the paper is to synthesize the current anthropological data available for the Strbinci site, present it by grave unit, and analyze and compare the demographic pro­files and disease frequencies between Strbinci and a composite Late Antique skeletal series from continental Croatia consisting of human osteological remains from three archaeologi­cal sites; Roman Mursa (modern Osijek), Roman Ciba/ae (modern Vinkovci) and Zmajevac. All four sites are dated to the 4\u27h century AD and all are located in the eastern part of con­tinental Croatia. To determine if life stresses were different in Strbinci the age and sex distri­bution in Strbinci was compared to the composite Late Antique skeletal series from conti­nental Croatia. All skeletons were also analyzed for the presence of dental pathology, den­tal enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, trauma, and Schmorl\u27s lesions. Data collected from the skeletal series show that, with the exception of alveolar bone disease frequencies and enamel hypoplasia frequencies, no significant difference in quality of life is evident. Both series are characterized by an underrepresentation of subadultsfrom the youngest age category and by similar average adult male and female ages at death. In Strbinci the average ages at death for adult males and females were 40.3 and 36.9 years respectively, in the composite Late Antique skeletal series from continental Croatia 37.4 years for males and 39.9 for females. The frequencies of caries lesions, cri bra orbitalia, trau­ma and Schmorl\u27s lesions are similar in both series