Bioarchaeology of Sacred Bodies: Martyrs' Identity in the Roman Province of Scythia
Bioarchaeology of Sacred Bodies: Martyrs' Identity in the Roman Province of Scythia

Summary/Abstract: This study applies a bioarchaeological framework to interrogate the material, ritual, and institutional dimensions of early Christian martyrdom in the Roman province of Scythia, integrating osteological evidence, archaeological context, and historical sources to examine the construction of martyrial identity. The findings substantiate instances of perimortem violence, with the Halmyris case displaying evidence of decapitation and blunt-force trauma, while the Tropaeum Traiani assemblage reveals deliberate limb amputation and execution through beheading. However, the Niculițel assemblage, despite its strong epigraphic identification as martyrial, lacks osteological markers of violent death, placing under scrutiny the assumption that corporeal suffering was a prerequisite for martyrial designation. This discrepancy foregrounds the semiotic and institutional mechanisms through which martyrdom was inscribed onto bodies, reinforcing the role of posthumous interventions — translation, relic fragmentation, and ritual manipulation—in the social production of sanctity. The analysis also engages with the Weiss-Krejci model of mortuary deposition to trace the postmortem trajectory of martyr remains, while osteobiographical methodologies reconstruct individual profiles through skeletal morphology, trauma analysis, and burial context. By embedding bioarchaeological data within a theoretical discourse on material agency and posthumous subjectivation, this study reframes martyrdom not as an intrinsic, biologically verifiable condition, but as a dynamic and institutionally mediated construct. The analysis demonstrates that martyrial identity was not simply inscribed at the moment of execution, but was iteratively produced through a recursive process involving textual codification (hagiographic texts and epigraphic sources), ritual manipulation, and institutional validation. Furthermore, anthropological analysis plays a crucial role in this process by providing empirical evidence that can either support or challenge martyrial narratives—not only by shedding light on the biological profiles of individuals, but also by identifying signs of perimortem violence (or their absence) and traces of posthumous manipulation of remains.

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