Archaeological skeletal remains and industrialisation: Lecture by Dr Jelena Bekvalak

Date and time Thu 18 Mar 2021 from 11:00am to 12:00pm
Location Online
Organised by Retired Fellows Society

Hear from Jelena Bekvalac, Curator of Human Osteology at the Museum of London, who will deliver a lecture on Archaeological skeletal remains and Industrialisation, exploring the impact to London's health as revealed from the skeletal remains.

The legacy of industrialisation continues today and the skeletal remains of people from the past are able to provide a fascinating insight into its effects and the impact it has had in shaping our health and lives.

The Museum of London curated archaeologically derived human skeletal collections provide an exceptional opportunity for learning about the past, directly from the people who lived and died in London over 2,000 years. Our natural inquisitiveness feeds our desire to know more and to ask questions about people from the past at an individual and collective level. Archaeologically derived skeletal remains provide a rich and invaluable source of contextual information, which enhances the variety and sources of information possible to extract from their analysis.

London has experienced significant changes over the course of time. One such momentous period was the Industrial Revolution and the associated effects of the industrial era, still evident in our working and living environments today. A funded research project, with the Rosemary Green Grant awarded by the City of London Archaeological Trust (CoLAT), enabled the opportunity to ask how industrialisation had affected the health of London, by investigating large numbers of adult skeletal remains from the pre-Industrial and Industrial period, focusing on five themes pertinent to the population today.

Registration for this webinar will close 2 hours prior to the start time. You will receive the webinar link 2 hours before the meeting. Late registrations will not be accepted.

This webinar is available for on-demand viewing. The webinar recording will be available for registered delegates up to 30 days after the live webinar broadcast via Zoom. The link will be sent 24 hours after the webinar takes place.

Join in the conversation online using #RSMLive

Jelena Bekvalac

Curator of Human Osteology, Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, Museum of London

Speaker's biography

Jelena Bekvalac, BA Hons, MSc, FSA is a Curator of Human Osteology at the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, Museum of London, and has been at the Centre since its establishment with funding from the Wellcome Trust in 2003.

Prior to becoming a Curator in 2008, she was as a research osteologist within the osteological team based at the Centre. Before being fortunate to work at the Museum of London with such an outstanding skeletal collection, she worked on archaeological excavations in England and was lucky to have had the opportunity to work on excavations and projects with skeletal remains in Jordan, Russia and the Czech Republic as well as the extraordinary Spitalfields Market excavation.

As a curator at the Centre for Human Bioarchaeology, Jelena's role is varied and interesting, caring for the extensive archaeologically derived skeletal assemblages, recording and analysing the osteological data, assisting and supporting researchers, working with volunteers, teaching, presenting talks, collaborative research projects and participating in outreach events. She enjoys being involved in outreach events for schools and students to share with them the wonderful array of information that can be learnt from skeletal remains. Areas of particular interest include palaeopathology, radiography and post-medieval bioarchaeology.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in this webinar are of the speakers themselves and not of the RSM nor the speaker's organisations.

Special rates for difficult times
The RSM wishes to offer healthcare professionals continued learning opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. The RSM’s weekly COVID-19 Series webinars remain free of charge, while there will be small charges to register for other online education. These fees will enable the RSM to continue its programme of activities and will apply during the course of the pandemic.

Registration for this webinar will close 2 hours prior to the start time. You will receive the webinar link 2 hours before the meeting. Late registrations will not be accepted.

All webinars will be available for registered delegates 30 days after on Zoom. The link will be sent 24 hours after the webinar takes place.

This webinar will be recorded and stored by the Royal Society of Medicine and may be distributed in future on various internet channels.

Archaeological skeletal remains and industrialisation: Lecture by Dr Jelena Bekvalak

About this event

Key speakers

Jelena Bekvalac

Location