Demography and disease : bioarchaeological approaches to Himera, Kamarina, and Metapontum

This thesis examines the role of regional environmental and health conditions in shaping demographic patterns in the ancient Greek world. Although demographic methods have become increasingly more prominent in the study of antiquity, modern scholarship has largely prioritized macro-scale reconstructions over analyses of regional population structures. As a result, these models often overlook the localized factors that directly impact population dynamics and mortality regimes. Focusing on three ancient Greek colonies, Himera, Kamarina, and Metapontum, this study evaluates regional variations in environment, diet, and health through the lens of bioarchaeological evidence. This evidence is first contextualized within each city’s environmental and historical setting and then used to reconstruct the overall healthscape of each population. These profiles are finally assessed through an anthropological demographic framework to examine the interplay between regional conditions, health, and mortality. Through a comparative analysis of these settlements, this thesis argues that modern approaches to ancient demography must consistently account for regional variations across the Mediterranean. By foregrounding the localized factors that shaped population health, diet, and disease exposure, this approach more effectively situates ancient populations within their specific health contexts and reveals new avenues to explore the diverse range of opportunities, limitations, and adaptive strategies in these regions.