Life and Death in Medieval Poland

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Life and Death in Medieval Poland" at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological and osteological studies focused on populations in Medieval Poland (tenth–sixteenth centuries) remain underrepresented as we move through the third decade of this new millennium. This is especially true for studies focused on the lives of people, a subject that is more generally overlooked by historical sources. With advances in methods and technology, both archaeologists and bioarchaeologists are better equipped to answer complex questions about genetic population structure, health, stress, diet, behavior, and social structure. A synthesis of historical, archaeological, and biological data is crucial in developing a holistic view of the human experience in the past. This symposium will present current research related to these topics in the context of the High Medieval site of Giecz, and the Late Medieval sites of Gać and Dzwonowo. Although the two sites are very different in temporal and cultural context, the theme of the symposium is centered on how archaeological and osteological information can provide insight on the lives of people in Poland both during the periods of state development and the established Kingdom of Poland. The papers presented will address important and understudied topics such as studies applied to women and children, social status, urbanization, and population history.