Human Skeletal Remains from the Exterior of the Zápoľský Chapel in Spišský Štvrtok

During the restoration of the Zápoľský Chapel in the village of Spišský Štvrtok, eastern Slovakia, archaeological excavation uncovered ten incomplete graves as well as 1024 bone fragments that were found in a frame of a surface survey in the Chapel’s exterior. The skeletal remains can be according to the excavated artifacts dated approximately to the 17th–18th century, which is a period when the church, the chapel and the monastery in Spišský Štvrtok were under the care of the religious order of the Minorite friars. The aim of the study was to determine the age, sex and height of the individuals in the graves and to calculate the minimal number of individuals (MNI) of the skeletal remains in the surface collection. Their health status was also evaluated by monitoring their pathological conditions. Among the pathological conditions, inflammatory bone changes (osteomyelitis and periostitis), neoplasms, and dental pathologies were present. Of interest was the presence of processus epicondylaris on the humerus of the individual in the grave nr. 5, which is rare in humans and may have been related to some increased strenuous activity. This anthropological research could contribute to the historical knowledge of the site and the population that lived in Spišský Štvrtok, Slovakia. Probably, many of the skeletal remains belonged to members of the Minorites and also to citizens of the village Spišský Štvrtok. However, the origin of the skeletal remains is unknown even after anthropological research and it is a good reason for deeper discussion and further analyses.