Breathing in Cities: A Closer Look at Dutch Urbanization and Health History

For centuries, urbanization has been a defining characteristic of the human civilization. As urban areas expanded and evolved, so did the lives of the people living in them. My research delves into an often overlooked aspect of the phenomenon: the impact of urbanization on human respiratory health.

Maia Casna • November 08, 2023

Organising an Osteoarchaeological Symposium: 5 students share their experiences

Since January 2023, five (R)MSc archaeology students from Leiden University have been part of the Organising Committee of the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Fysische Antropologie (NVFA).

Aida Tadesse, Krijn Wilkens, Luna Beerden, Rosa Seepma and Serina Lyngstad Griffioen • October 24, 2023

Suffering hands in medieval Dutch communities

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease, affecting around 1.5 million Dutch people today (around 10% of adults). You may know of it as “arthritis”, or “artrose”, and it is a disease of the soft cushioning tissues that surround the ends of bones within certain types of joints.

Rachael Hall • July 10, 2023

A look within: mapping the distribution of proteins in teeth

Over the last decade the use of proteins as the focus of archaeological research has become much more popular. With the increased usage there has also been an increase in the diversity of research questions that can be addressed with ancient proteins as well as the methods used to analyse them.

Jan Dekker • February 25, 2023

The tasks at hand: Working in post-medieval Dutch communities

For as long as we have been human, our hands have been essential in our interactions with our environment. Whether we make tools, create art, or communicate with each other, we use our hands all day, every day. Our bodies respond to such continued use, including our bones.

Cora Leder • February 23, 2023

Excavating at the necropolis of Saqqara, Egypt

This fall, four students from Leiden University were given the opportunity to participate in a fieldschool set in the renowned Necropolis of Saqqara in Egypt.

Mary van den Hoorn, Lauren van Kruijssen, Aida Tadesse and Sandra Veprauskiene • November 17, 2022

Into people’s noses: investigating past respiratory health to reconstruct a society’s response to urbanisation

PhD candidate Maia Casna explores the impact of diseases on past societies.

Maia Casna • February 20, 2020

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