ALBENGA, ITALY—The remains of a 13-year-old girl who suffered from anemia have been unearthed in northern Italy by a team from the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology at the Vatican. She had been buried face down in front of a church dedicated to Saint Calocero, which dates to the fifth or sixth century A.D. “The prone burial was linked to the belief that the soul left the body through the mouth. Burying the dead face-down was a way to prevent the impure soul threatening the living,” anthropologist Elena Dellù told Discovery News. Areas of spongy bone tissue on her skull are evidence of severe anemia that would have made her pale and prone to fainting. She may have experienced hematomas as well. “She could have suffered from an inherited blood disorder such as thalassemia or from hemorrhagic conditions. More simply, it could have been an iron lacking diet,” Dellù added. Excavation director Stefano Roascio says that the prone burial, suggesting that the girl had been rejected by her community, is at odds with the prestigious location of her burial, in front of the church. “A precise dating of the skeleton and further research on similar burials might help in finding more clues,” he said. To read about a strange female burial unearthed in France that dates to the same era, see ARCHAEOLOGY's "Barbarian Body Modification."
