Violent Lives, Violent Deaths : An osteological analysis of the medieval cemetery at Helgeandsholmen, Stockholm

Sammanfattning: This essay includes osteological and pathological analyses on selected individuals from the medieval cemetery at Helgeandsholmen, Stockholm. All of the individuals have been selected based on information that indicates that they have suffered trauma caused by violence. The main purpose of this work is to contribute to existing knowledge about the buried individuals at Helgeandsholmen since no archaeological excavation or osteological report has ever been published. The analysis suggests that the violence was more likely linked to warfare in a number of cases, but it is also possible that some of these injuries were the result of interpersonal/domestic violence. The fact that some of these individuals exhibit healed trauma suggests that a number of the individuals studied may have been professional soldiers. It is apparent that further, detailed, study of this collection is warranted as it offers significant insights into the lives of Stockholm’s residents in the recent historical past.