An Analysis of Dental Health in Relation to Sex and Social Status at Roman Winchester

Abstract

Inequalities in society, past and present, are influenced by a number of aspects of identity. The purpose of this study is to investigate dental health differences at a Romano- British site as they relate to (1) sex, (2) social status, and the (3) confluence of sex and social status, using the theoretical frameworks of Embodiment and Intersectionality. Dental health data for 342 adults from Roman Winchester (4-5th century CE) were compared between sex and social status groups. Statistical analyses showed that males exhibited higher rates of anterior antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) and higher rates of dental wear than females; additionally, the Lower Social Status group had higher rates of posterior and total AMTL than the Higher Social Status group. When analyzing sex and social status, the Higher Social Status group exhibited no statistically significant differences. Within the Lower Social Status group, however, males and females exhibited differences in anterior AMTL, anterior dental wear, and posterior dental wear. No differences in dental caries rates were found for any subgroups. Results show that in this skeletal sample, dental health between the sexes was not drastically different, suggesting, at least with respect to diet, that women were not fundamentally inferior to men, contrary to surviving literary evidence. By analyzing the confluence of sex and social status, analysis shows that the Higher Social Status group was defined by more equality between sexes, while minor differences were found in the Lower Social Status group. This may suggest that in families where resources were strained, men and women consumed slightly different diets, while in families where resources were plentiful, women and men consumed similar foods. The results of this thesis provide new insights into the lives of women and lower social status groups, and contributes to a greater understanding of inequalities and dietary variation in Roman Britain.