Childhood scars in adult remains: bioarcheological approaches to early life in medieval Galicia using dental enamel hypoplasia

This study integrates historical and osteoarcheological approaches to examine childhood in medieval Iberia, offering insights into living conditions, resource management, and welfare of a particularly fragile demographic sector. Infancy and childhood stress is addressed by recording a marker called dental enamel hypoplasia in deciduous and permanent teeth from six Galician osteological collections that account for the majority of skeletal remains in the area. No differences were observed regarding chronological period, but most collections present higher prevalences than other Iberian sites. This fact may be associated with climate, diet, and social factors. The distribution of lesions and the age when they were formed point to a different childhood experience in urban and rural areas. In addition, the analysis of deciduous teeth suggests intense maternal-fetal stress, especially among urban females.