Sensory explorations of Roman material culture: a disability perspective
Sensory explorations of Roman material culture: a disability perspective
This paper introduces a disability perspective to sensory explorations of Roman material culture. Exploration of the senses often assume a non-disabled, adult perspective; however, a person’s experience is greatly impacted by their body and whether an environment is designed to include different bodies. The paper presents an interdisciplinary, osteoarchaeological approach to exploring the sensory experiences had by people with impairments. To illustrate, the paper explores two case studies of people with impairments, whose skeletal remains were found at the Alington Avenue cemetery, Dorset, UK. Whilst there are limitations to a person’s ability to understand what it is like to stand in another’s shoes, even small insights can prove enlightening to both our understanding of the past and how we think about our disabling world today. This paper is a call for further research in this field.
senses, osteoarchaeology, disability, bioarchaeology, impairment
Wright, Stephanie Susanne Evelyn
d817a798-bc54-47b1-bb44-0a355fb6dbfa
29 December 2023
Wright, Stephanie Susanne Evelyn
d817a798-bc54-47b1-bb44-0a355fb6dbfa
Wright, Stephanie Susanne Evelyn
(2023)
Sensory explorations of Roman material culture: a disability perspective.
Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal, 6 (1).
(doi:10.16995/traj.10292).
Abstract
This paper introduces a disability perspective to sensory explorations of Roman material culture. Exploration of the senses often assume a non-disabled, adult perspective; however, a person’s experience is greatly impacted by their body and whether an environment is designed to include different bodies. The paper presents an interdisciplinary, osteoarchaeological approach to exploring the sensory experiences had by people with impairments. To illustrate, the paper explores two case studies of people with impairments, whose skeletal remains were found at the Alington Avenue cemetery, Dorset, UK. Whilst there are limitations to a person’s ability to understand what it is like to stand in another’s shoes, even small insights can prove enlightening to both our understanding of the past and how we think about our disabling world today. This paper is a call for further research in this field.
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traj-10292-evelyn-wright
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Accepted/In Press date: 30 October 2023
Published date: 29 December 2023
Keywords:
senses, osteoarchaeology, disability, bioarchaeology, impairment
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Local EPrints ID: 503942
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/503942
ISSN: 2515-2289
PURE UUID: e8a1a3da-904f-45af-ba16-ae33b3f7a610
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Date deposited: 18 Aug 2025 17:03
Last modified: 21 Aug 2025 05:28
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Author:
Stephanie Susanne Evelyn Wright
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