Disease control and the disposal of infectious materials in Renaissance Rome

Excavations in the area of Caesar's Forum

Bibliographic Data

ID3519743
AuthorsCristina Boschetti (0000-0003-4499-779X, Aarhus University), Laura Di Siena (Det Danske Institut i Rom - Accademia di Danimarca), Jan Kindberg Jacobsen (Det Danske Institut i Rom - Accademia di Danimarca), Gloria Mittica (Det Danske Institut i Rom - Accademia di Danimarca), Giovanni Murro (Det Danske Institut i Rom - Accademia di Danimarca), Claudio Parisi Presicce (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Rom), Rubina Raja (0000-0002-1387-874X, Aarhus University, corresponding author), Massimo Vitti (Ministero della cultura)
Year2023
Volume97
Issue393
Pages690-706
Publication date2023-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAntiquity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-598X • E-ISSN: 1745-1744
PublisherAntiquity Publications (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15184/aqy.2023.34
OpenAlexW4364381039
LanguageEN
References cited7

Excavations in Rome have long focused on the early city; only recently has attention turned to the archaeology of the medieval and later periods. Here, the authors present a rare sixteenth-century context, dating to a time when European cities contended with repeat epidemics and implemented measures to control the spread of disease. A contextual approach to the assemblage leads to its identification as a 'medical dump' of clinical equipment, including glass urine flasks and 'single-serve' ceramics, many of the latter specifically produced for the Ospedale dei Fornari. Drawing on Renaissance medical treatises, the authors argue that this material represents the disposal of potentially infected objects, shedding light on urban waste-management practices

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art history · Assemblage (archaeology) · Context (archaeology) · Excavation · The Renaissance · Historical and Religious Studies of Rome · History · Ottoman and Turkish Studies · Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research

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