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Site: St. John's, Timberhill (part of Castle Mall), Norwich
Period: Late Saxon to post-medieval.
Excavator: Norfolk Archaeological Unit.
Published: forthcoming.
Skeleton: disarticulated bone.
Catalogue entry: A fragment of an adult tibia from the grave fill of a more complete burial. Macroscopically and radiographically, this shows thickening and porosity of the cortex which is consistent with a diagnosis of Paget's Disease. The cross-section shows the loss of medullary cavity in the centre of the bone. Other disarticulated fragments from nearby graves also showed signs of the disease and may represent parts of the same individual, although the disease more commonly affects only one bone in an individual. The lack of completeness of this skeleton is therefore unfortunate.
Paget's Disease (osteitis deformans) is a disease of unknown cause which typically affects middle-aged and older individuals. It may affect one or more bones, but does not normally produce changes in the entire skeleton. The spine is the most commonly affected area.