8 Jun 2021
Two afternoons of reflecting on respiratory disease in bioarchaeology
On the formation of the Bioarchaeology Respiratory Network, our first step was to organise a symposium highlighting some of the most interesting research currently being undertaken on respiratory disease.
Our inaugral event, the ‘Taking a Breath: Reflecting on Respiratory Disease in Bioarchaeology’ online symposium, took place across two afternoons on the 7th and 8th of June 2021 to great success.
Inspired by a burgeoning interest in respiratory disease in the past due to the COVID pandemic, this symposium sought to present new findings, innovative methods, and potential pathways for future interdisciplinary research related to the (bio)archaeological study of respiratory disease.
The symposium was kindly sponsored by the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) and the UKRI-funded research project ‘Tobacco, Health and History’, with approximately 260 people from across the world registering to attend the event.
The event consisted of six fifteen-minute talks by current researchers specialising in archaeological research related to respiratory disease, a keynote lecture by Professor Charlotte Roberts, and a discussion panel of experts who have previously contributed to this field of study. Talks were selected to incorporate a wide variety of approaches and exciting new methods related to the study of respiratory disease in the past.
To begin, Dr Cecilia Collins provided an introduction to the topic with a talk on the major findings of her doctoral research into respiratory infection, otitis media, and its potential relationship to tuberculosis in Medieval Icelandic groups (Hidden disabilities: the palaeopathology of chronic respiratory infection and hearing loss in medieval Iceland).
Samantha Purchase and Dr Bruno Magalhães both presented on exciting new method developments resulting from their own doctoral research. Samantha Purchase introduced us to a system for investigating prevalence rates of mastoiditis using a portable X-ray system (Point and shoot: a handy method to visualize mastoiditis in human skeletal remains), while Dr Bruno M. Magalhães provided a systematic approach to the recording of anatomical nasal variations in crania and their relationship to the development of maxillary sinusitis (Nasal variations and maxillary rhinosinusitis: methodological approaches and possible relationship).
Incorporating other strands of archaeological research, Dr Anita Radini introduced us to the use of calculus for investigating the various respiratory irritants present in different past lived environments (Dental calculus and respiratory health in past societies: an overview), and Dr Lisa-Marie Shillito presented on her unique study of the measurement of particulate matter given off by fuel burning in a reconstructed Neolithic house at Çatalhöyük (Biofuels and respiratory health: the potentials of the (geo)archaeological record).
Finally, Derek Boyd finished the first day by inviting us to think theoretically about intersectionality and its potential incorporation into bioarchaeological studies of respiratory disease, around which his doctoral research focuses (Thinking intersectionally about respiratory stress in bioarchaeology).
On the second day, in her keynote lecture entitled ‘Breathe in and breathe out, then repeat: bioarchaeological contributions to understanding respiratory system disease in the past’, Professor Charlotte Roberts delivered an excellent summary of previous and current bioarchaeological research on respiratory disease, issues encountered within the field, and the future potential of this avenue of research.
The keynote lecture led perfectly into the subsequent lively discussion panel, consisting of Professor Charlotte Roberts, Professor Mary Lewis, Professor Ana Luisa Santos, and Dr Sarah Inskip, and chaired by Dr Anna Davies-Barrett.
Here, we discussed issues around the analysis (or lack thereof) of respiratory disease in juvenile human skeletal remains, the future potential use of human identified skeletal collections, the incorporation of interdisciplinary and biomolecular techniques for gaining further insight into the development of respiratory diseases, and the impact of Covid-19 on our understanding and approaches to investigating past experiences of respiratory disease – to name but a few of the wide range of topics raised!
The symposium talks and discussion panel provided an excellent snapshot of current relevant research, methods, and issues, highlighting the value of (bio)archaeological studies of respiratory disease for our understanding of the past and for demonstrating the role our discipline can have in discussions of current global concerns.
It is hoped the fantastic attendance and engagement at the symposium will stimulate new avenues of research across the world that can contribute to our understanding of respiratory disease in the past.
The Bioarchaeology Respiratory Network would like to wholeheartedly thank BABAO for their generous sponsorship for this symposium, as well as the speakers and attendees for contributing to the success of the event.