The individual was a young adult male, aged around 18β25 years at the time of death. Radiocarbon dating showed the remains dated to the late 11 th βearly 12 th centuries, a time when pilgrimages were at their height in Europe. Several lines of evidence in connection with the burial suggested this was an individual of some means and prestige. Although buried within the leprosarium cemetery, the skeleton showed only minimal skeletal evidence for leprosy, which was confined to the bones of the feet and legs.
Nonetheless, molecular testing of several skeletal elements, including uninvolved bones all showed robust evidence of DNA from Mycobacterium leprae , consistent with the lepromatous or multibacillary form of the disease.
We infer that in life, this individual almost certainly suffered with multiple soft tissue lesions. Genotyping of the M. During osteological examination it was noted that the cranium and facial features displayed atypical morphology for northern European populations. Subsequently, geochemical isotopic analyses carried out on tooth enamel indicated that this individual was indeed not local to the Winchester region, although it was not possible to be more specific about their geographic origin.
This multidisciplinary research article, involving biomolecular analysis, osteology, strontium and oxygen isotopic analyses and archaeology, examines the remains of a Pilgrim burial excavated from the medieval leprosy hospital of St Mary Magdalen, Winchester, UK.
The leprosarium at Winchester is one of the earliest excavated examples from Western Europe and has been the subject of a series of recent academic papers. Several aspects of the burial and dietary isotope analysis indicated this was an individual of some prestige and means; an unusual cranial morphology pointed to possible origin outside of the British Isles. Strontium and oxygen isotopic analyses confirmed he was not local to the Winchester area but were not able to pinpoint his precise origins.
