Bones

This book presents the results of a unique macroscopic and radiological analysis, by X-ray and CT scan, of the bone pathologies of about 1800 subjects who lived at the time of the Roman Empire (first and second centuries A.D.) and whose remains were recovered during the excavation of a suburban necropolis of Rome. The survey, which represents a collaboration between the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and the Special Superintendent for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome, has yielded incredible images of different orthopaedic diseases in a period when no surgical treatment was available: there are cases of infection (osteomyelitis), metabolic disease (gout), hematologic disease (multiple myeloma), traumatic lesions and their complications and degenerative pathology (osteoarthritis, particularly secondary and overload). A multidisciplinary team including orthopaedists, paleopathologists, radiologists and medical historians has evaluated the major groups of bone disease in the population finding out incredible cases and picture of ortho-traumatologic pathologies in a pre-surgical era. The homogeneity of the sample and the number of subjects make this a study of fundamental importance.

• Bone pathologies
• Medical history
• Metabolic disease
• Orthopedic oncology
• Paleopathology

“This new book … presents the results of analysis of over 1800 cases of bone pathology recovered from a recent archaeological excavation outside Rome. ... The studies from the Italian group shed light on medicine in early Rome and the scholarly well researched and illustrated volume is an important contribution to palaeopathological studies and will be of interest to a wide audience including medical historians. All the contributors should be congratulated in producing this fine work of scholarship.” (Arpan K. Banerjee, The British Society for the History of Radiology, BSHR, bshr.org.uk, July, 2016)

“This a charming book, and will be of considerable value to anyone interested in Roman medicine and orthopaedic radiology. … I love this book. I came away with an awareness of the common humanity of all of us, and these bones from imperial Rome have conditions that we would see on our reporting lists today. In particular the book would make an ideal present for anyone interested in Roman history and in bones.” (Dr. Adrian Thomas, RAD Magazine, July, 2016)

• Oncologic Center “Palazzo Baleani” Azienda Policlinico “Umberto I”, Rome, Italy

  Andrea Piccioli

• Department of Sciences and Medico Surgical Biotechnologies, History of Medicine Unit, Sapienza-Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

  Valentina Gazzaniga

• Anthropological Service, Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo, il Museo Nazionale Romano e l’Area Archeologica di Roma, Rome, Italy

  Paola Catalano

Dr. Andrea Piccioli is an orthopaedic surgeon skilled in musculoskeletal oncology, trained at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York. He is the Secretary of Italian Society of Orthopedic and Traumatology (S.I.O.T.) and the Coordinator of the Working Group on Bone Metastasis of the Italian Society. He works as Orthopedic Oncologist Consultant in “Palazzo Baleani" Oncologic Unit of Policlinico Umberto I in Rome. He is the author of several scientific papers in the field of orthopaedic oncology and traumatology and also responsible for S.I.O.T. National Guidelines on Orthopaedic oncology. His main interests are on musculoskeletal Oncology and bone metastasis.

Dr. Paola Catalano is an anthropologist,working at The Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici, peripheral organ of the Ministry of Culture with the institutional task of protecting, conserving and valorising the architectural and landscape heritage in the territory of competence.

Policies and ethics