The reviewed book examines health, nutrition and lifestyle in medieval Crete. The analysis is based on a detailed survey of human remains found on the island. These findings are then contextualised, using archeological and written sources. The book starts with a foreword by Donald Ortner, which is followed by an introduction by Bourbou. The first chapter outlines the historical, cultural and medical background of medieval Crete, along with a description of the burial sites examined, including detailed statistics. It also describes the methodology used for the anthropological evaluation of the remains.
The second chapter discusses selected specimens found at these burial sites. Here, teeth are of particular interest, as they display the nutrition of the specific individual. Bourbou notes a high rate of dental diseases, in particular in the male population, which she attributes to lack of dental hygiene and possibly a different diet of the male and female population. (Previous research had suggested that the nutrition in Byzantine Crete would have contributed to good oral health.) Other findings in this chapter include a higher incidence of degenerative joint diseases among the male population, evidence of hematopoietic disorders, periostosis, a possible case of sacral actinomycosis, a higher incidence of bone fractures amongst males, a perimortem occipital skull fracture, most likely caused by a weapon, and a 9.8% incidence of spina bifida occulta. This chapter is followed by a very good and detailed discussion of infant health. Chapter four presents the results of an isotope analysis of the remains. It concludes that the nutrition of the persons in question is in accordance with the descriptions in written sources.
The book contains lists of tables and illustrations, a glossary and a very rich 59-page bibliography. Perhaps the most striking feature of the book is the discussion of whether specific changes to the skeleton are caused by thalassemia, iron deficiency or hypovitaminosis B12, whether these changes could, in combination with others, also be indicative of scurvy, and how such a form of malnutrition could develop in an area where fresh fruit would have been easily and generally available.
The discussion of pediatrics and nursing is a particular strength of the book. Not only are these topics often overlooked in the field of Classical and Byzantine medical history, Bourbou also contributes important new insights through an isotope analysis and visual examination of the skeletal remains. For instance, her findings confirm that breast milk constituted a major part of the nutrition (according to remains of deceased children under the age of three), which suggests that weaning did not take place at an early point of time. This fact comes into play in the discussion of whether goat’s-milk-based nutrition contributed to infant mortality, as it contains lower levels of folic acid than breast milk.
The scientific data is presented in a very clear manner, so that it can easily be read by a lay audience. Whenever the examination reaches its limits, for instance when soft tissue would be needed for any further conclusions, this is explicitly discussed. The book is readable, always to the point and it contains a large amount of new material. Moreover, it can by used by historians as a gateway to scientific topics and vice versa. The extensive bibliography is most useful, as it combines material that is not often found in one place.
