Life stress : a bio-cultural investigation into the later Anglo-Saxon population of the Black Gate Cemetery.

The Black Gate cemetery in Newcastle-upon-Tyne was established within the
abandoned remains of a Roman fort (Pons Aelius) in the 8th century and was an active
burial ground until the 12th century AD. The cemetery has yielded 663 articulated
skeletons, making it one of the largest skeletal assemblages recovered from later
Anglo-Saxon England. Aside from the cemetery there is no physical evidence for
settlement in the area from the abandonment of Pons Aelius in 410 AD. until the first
phase of construction of a Norman castle in 1080 AD. Documentary evidence indicates
the presence of a monastery within the immediate locality of the cemetery; however,
archaeological evidence for a monastic settlement at the site has yet to be identified.
Consequently, the origin of the contributory population is uncertain.
To determine the nature and origin of the Black Gate cemetery population a bio-cultural
investigation was undertaken. Investigation into the relationship between health and
the different demographic and social components of the assemblage, determined from
burial form and variation, enabled a picture of the overall social and environmental
impact on levels of physiological stress to be assessed. Indicators of stress were
compared with thirteen sites of known context to determine if the health profile
observed amongst the Black Gate population shared characteristics with urban, rural or
monastic assemblages.
A detailed picture of the health and funerary behaviour of the Black Gate cemetery was
attained. However, the origin of this population remains inconclusive. This research
emphasises the multi-factorial nature of physiological stress and that age, diet, cultural
practices and status had a greater impact upon the skeleton than settlement type in the
later Anglo-Saxon period.