Überblick
Since 2009, excavations have been carried out in the Early Bronze Age settlement and cemetery area of Vrable, southwest Slovakia. The region of Vrable was an important contact zone between different middle and south-east European cultures and therefore offers an interesting area for anthropological research. It is located near the Carpathian Mountains which are known for their rich deposits of gold, copper and tin. The archaeological research questions to what extent the metallurgy affected the early and middle Bronze Age populations in this area, and this can also be applied to the anthropological research. Did metallurgy affect the health of the people involved with it, and are there visible traces on the bones? Are there particular demographic differences in the population compared to other contemporary settlements? What kind of diseases did the population have?