Nouse.co.uk » Skeleton found at Heslington East site may be first TB victim

Skeleton found at Heslington East site may be first TB victim

October 14, 2008
Sian Turner

Work on the Heslington East campus extension has unearthed the skeleton of a man believed to be one of the first victims of tuberculosis in Britain.

Found in September during archaeological investigations on the site, the skeleton was found in a shallow grave close to an old Roman road between York and Barton-on-Humber. Close analysis by experts from York Osteoarchaeology confirmed the cause of death to be tuberculosis, a disease that affected the man’s spine and pelvis.

Heslington East Fieldwork Officer, Cath Neal, also of the Department of Archaeology at York, said: “This was a remarkable find and detailed study of this skeleton will provide us with important clues about the emergence of tuberculosis in late-Roman Britain, but also information about what life was like in York more than 1,500 years ago.

“A burial such as this, close to living quarters, is unusual for this period when most burials were in formal cemeteries. It is possible that the man was buried here because the tuberculosis infection was so rare at the time, and people were reluctant to transport the body any distance.”

The remains are now being studied as part of research into the origin, evolution and spread of tuberculosis bacteria in Britain and Europe, funded by the National Environmental Research Council.

The burial area will not be built on. Plans are underway for community archaeology visits once investigations are complete.