Ancient Traditions

A new study of medieval Danish cemeteries has revealed that wealthy individuals with leprosy were not excluded from high-status burials, challenging long-held beliefs about the social stigma of the disease. Archaeologists found that affluent Christians, even when afflicted with leprosy, were laid to rest in the most prestigious graves closest to the church, a practice believed to bring them “closer to God.” This discovery suggests that social status and wealth often trumped health conditions in determining one's final resting place in the medieval era. The research, published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, analyzed 939 adult skeletons from five medieval cemeteries in Denmark, dating from approximately 1050 to 1536 AD. The findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how medieval societies