In medieval times, Cambridge was a well-established market town on the river involved in trade. The excavations took place because St John's College wanted to redevelop the area. And there's actually a Roman settlement here. Then we found the cemetery that was established by the hospital. And we found lots of dead people, skeletons associated with that.
Crushed by a cart, infected with parasitic worms and painful bunions caused by pointy shoes. These might sound like curses you’d wish on your worst enemy, but a group of researchers have discovered they were probably a part of normal life in medieval Cambridge. Across several archaeological sites, the team have excavated and analysed hundreds of bones to uncover the accidents and afflictions of people in the middle ages. In this Halloween special, Madeleine Finlay hears from Nicola Davis as she takes a trip to Cambridge to investigate what old skeletons can reveal about the lives of those in centuries gone by. Help support our independent journalism at
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