By examining human skeletal remains at both the macro and microscopic levels, our osteoarchaeologists shed light on the health and living conditions of late medieval urban populations, studying, for example, socioeconomic status indicators. Collaborating closely with clinical experts and using cutting-edge medical infrastructure, this research uncovers physical traces of daily urban life in the past.

Make-Up of the Cities explores five urban settings dating from the late medieval period. Our historians interpret and contextualize the findings from the team's osteoarchaeologists and isotopic specialists, drawing on documentary sources and the latest published scholarship to highlight the rich diversity of medieval urban life.

Stable isotope studies offer a window into the diets, origins, and mobility of late medieval urban populations. Using VUB’s state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, our researchers analyze carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotopes preserved in the bones and teeth of medieval city-dwellers to reconstruct their everyday experiences.