Dwarfism in Imperial Rome: A Case of Skeletal Evidence

Abstract

The palaeopathological study of skeletal human remains may contribute to extend the knowledge about ancient diseases and their impact on society. Literary sources about many pathological conditions are scarce, but in some cases they are improved by iconographic representations of diseases in paintings and sculptures from the ancient world in Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. In the same way, the anthropological description and medical diagnosis of pathological skeletons found during archaeological excavations witness the presence of diseases. This work presents a case of dwarfism in an adult skeleton of the Imperial Age (I-II century A.D.) from Rome. The anthropological study evidenced a very short stature of this individual (ca 134 cm) who showed several centimetres of shortening of the limbs, compared with the osteometric data of the coeval Roman population. The presence of dwarfs in Rome during the Imperial Age is well documented by literary and iconographic sources; they were very appreciated, in particular by elitarian families, and provided for jokes and entertainment purposes.