Disease control and the disposal of infectious materials in Renaissance Rome: excavations in the area of Caesar's Forum

• Published in: Antiquity Vol. 97; no. 393; pp. 690 - 706
• Main Authors: Boschetti, Cristina, di Siena, Laura, Jacobsen, Jan Kindberg, Mittica, Gloria, Murro, Giovanni, Parisi Presicce, Claudio, Raja, Rubina, Vitti, Massimo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-06-2023
• Subjects: 16th century; Archaeology; Ceramics; Disease control; Early modern period; Epidemics; Excavation; Historic artifacts; History; Hygiene; Infection control; Infectious diseases; Infectious wastes; Renaissance; Renaissance period; Sanitation; Waste disposal; Waste management; Italy; Rome Italy; Early modern; hospitals; waste disposal; medical equipment; disease control; Italy; hygiene and sanitation
• ISSN: 0003-598X; 1745-1744
• DOI: 10.15184/aqy.2023.34

Excavations in Rome have long focused on the early city; only recently has attention turned to the archaeology of the medieval and later periods. Here, the authors present a rare sixteenth-century context, dating to a time when European cities contended with repeat epidemics and implemented measures to control the spread of disease. A contextual approach to the assemblage leads to its identification as a ‘medical dump’ of clinical equipment, including glass urine flasks and ‘single-serve’ ceramics, many of the latter specifically produced for the Ospedale dei Fornari. Drawing on Renaissance medical treatises, the authors argue that this material represents the disposal of potentially infected objects, shedding light on urban waste-management practices.