York skeletal remains that belonged to a medieval anchoress were found to have an unusual crouching position. Live Science reports that further analyses revealed that the woman died of arthritis and syphilis.
Mysterious York Skeletal Remains
Such findings raised queries regarding how the religious hermit could have gotten an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection). Nevertheless, they could explain the woman's peculiar position.
The BBC reports that the skeletal remains were discovered at a York excavation site back in 2007. Scientists from the University of Sheffield have distinguished these remains as those of Lady Isabel German. She allegedly lived a secluded life in a church room during the 15th century. Her skeletal remains were notably one of the 667 different complete skeletons found in the former church dig site.
Archaeologists were particularly struck by the woman's crouching position within a tomb inside a tiny room at the back of the altar. In such an era, this burial position was considered quite odd.
Dr. Lauren McIntyre, an archaeologist, states that Lady Isabel could have been an important figure within the community, especially considering how the skeleton was located in the apse. However, her burial position was extremely odd.
"It's interesting to tell a story of this particular woman [and her] unusual lifestyle." @noddinggoth
— That's TV York (@ThatsTVYork) February 7, 2023
A mysterious skeleton has been identified as Lady Isabel German, a religious anchoress who lived in @AllSaints_North in the 15th Century, thanks to analysis at @sheffielduni. pic.twitter.com/t8EigqeoRp
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Why Was She Crouching?
The study published in Medieval Archaeology shows that this position could have been due to arthritis or the limited space. The authors also added the possibility that she succumbed in such a position and that rigor mortis took place prior to her burial.
However, after performing radiocarbon dating and looking into the skeletal remains, the researchers found out that the religious hermit had septic arthritis and advanced venereal syphilis. Such conditions implied that she lived with clear and serious infection symptoms that impacted her whole body. Later on, she would have experienced mental health and neurological declines.
The authors considered the possibility that the syphilis-exhibiting bone could have come from a different set of skeletal remains on the opposite side. However, they found other parts of the woman's skeleton that exhibited signs of syphilis.
How the woman acquired this STI is only an object of speculation for the researchers. Nevertheless, the authors think that it was possible for the condition to stay dormant over Lady German's 28 years of staying onsite. It could also have been because, being in isolation, Lady German would have thought that getting the disfiguring STI could have been a form of penance.
However, the authors state that they do not know how the medieval anchoress acquired such an STI. There may have been sexual contact in consensual or non-consensual situations.
The period that Lady German lived in was one where there was a strong link between serious diseases and sin, with such suffering often interpreted as divine punishment. The authors express that, though it is tempting to think that someone with this condition was shunned or would want to live as a religious hermit to isolate from the rest of the world, findings have revealed that this could not have been the case. The condition could also have been seen in a positive light, such as being bestowed by God to give someone special the status of a martyr.
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