Health Risks Among the Elite: An Ecological-Political Approach to Life in Ancient Pompeii

This investigation challenges the assumption that reduced health is attributed to lower class individuals only. Skeletal indicators of illness and disease found on the osteological remains at ancient Pompeii are associated with an elite diet. The chronic conditions include dental caries, brucellosis, dental abrasion, dental abscesses, fluorosis, Forestier’s Disease (DISH), Hyperostosis Frontalis Interna (HFI), spina bifida occulta, and tuberculosis. The volcanic eruption in 79 CE provided exceptional preservation of the remains of flora, fauna, artwork, and architecture, which are used to recreate the diet and lifestyle of members of Pompeian society. Past analyses of the osteological remains include the disarticulated skeletal elements in the bath complexes and the burial of a large family within a dwelling at Pompeii. These remains are representative of a sample of the living population and contain paleopathological markers that are attributed to the consumption of food items specific to an elite diet. This case study demonstrates another avenue of research within the ecological-political model in archaeological context and illustrates many health risks associated with the lifestyle of members of higher socioeconomic status.