The Casa Lanfreducci bone assemblage from Valletta, Malta : a human remains assessment and study of the historical context

Abstract

The study of commingled human remains is one that has not yet been tackled extensively in a local context and is still in its early stages. The commingled assemblage discovered in the basement of Casa Lanfreducci, Valletta, in 2011, is an assemblage that is surrounded by controversy due to the circumstances in which it was discovered. The basement abuts the crypt of Our Lady of Victory Church, Valletta, which was the first building erected in Valletta in 1566 by the Knights of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta. Due to the close proximity to the crypt, the initial hypothesis was that the identity of the individuals buried there could have been Knights belonging to the Order. This study focuses on a sample of 10 boxes of remains taken from the total of 37 boxes that house this assemblage. This investigation aims at determining the identity of the individuals to whom the remains belong and at establishing an historic context for the assemblage. An osteological evaluation was carried out on the sample selected in order to calculate a minimum number of individuals, estimated age and sex as well as the documentation of any pathologies and trauma that were observed. The trauma observed and the identification of females and infants among the remains suggests that the individuals buried in the basement of Casa Lanfreducci were not members of the Order. However, a study of documentation regarding the Church of Our Lady of Victory resulted in the discovery of three confraternities linked to this church. These confraternities could have made use of the burial grounds of the Order found beneath this same church.