Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2020 May;172(1):70-86. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23993. Epub 2020 Jan 7.
Early Byzantine (A.D. 330-842) monastic rules stipulated that entrants relinquished familial connections, personal belongings and secular relationships to become part of the ascetic collective that continued in death, resulting in bioarchaeological marginalization, as was the case of the monastics excavated from the Chapel of Robebus at Mount Nebo, Jordan (ca. A.D. 491-640). It was hypothesized that compared to contemporary monastic groups, the Mount Nebo monastics experienced poorer health and gravitated to Mount Nebo, owing to its association with the Prophet Moses and proximity to the Dead Sea, Livias baths and Jordan River, all associated with curative benefits, especially for those suffering from leprosy.
The commingled remains of 73 adult males from Mount Nebo and the articulated skeletons (n = 27) from the Sanctuary of Agios Lot at Deir 'Ain 'Abata (Jordan) were assessed for paleopathology, then compared with a contemporary commingled group from the Monastery of Saint Euthymius at Khan-el-Ahmar (Judean Desert) (n = 117).
No skeletal evidence of leprosy was observed among the groups. Most Mount Nebo individuals did not reach an older age, yet injuries, severe osteoarthritis, lower leg osteoperiostitis and antemortem tooth loss were common. The paleopathological profile was similar at Deir 'Ain 'Abata, but paleopathology was negligible at Khan-el-Ahmar.
The similar paleopathological profiles of the Jordanian monastic groups suggest that the proximity to the Dead Sea may have attracted monastics to both sites, in addition to spirituality, but leprosy was not a factor based on the skeletal evidence.
早期拜占庭时期（公元 330-842 年）的修道院规定，入教者必须放弃家庭关系、个人财物和世俗关系，成为苦行集体的一部分，直至死亡，这导致了生物考古学上的边缘化，在约旦尼波山罗贝布斯小教堂出土的修道士（公元 491-640 年）就是这种情况。据推测，与同期的修道院群体相比，尼波山的修道士健康状况较差，他们之所以选择尼波山，是因为它与先知摩西有关，而且靠近死海、利维亚浴场和约旦河，这些地方都与治疗益处有关，尤其是对那些患有麻风病的人。
评估了来自尼波山的 73 名成年男性的混杂遗骸和来自约旦德阿因阿布塔的圣十字庇护所（n = 27）的关节骨骼（n = 27），并与来自 Khan-el-Ahmar（朱迪亚沙漠）的圣尤西米乌斯修道院的当代混杂群体（n = 117）进行了比较。
在这些群体中没有观察到麻风病的骨骼证据。大多数尼波山的个体都没有达到老年，但受伤、严重骨关节炎、小腿骨骨膜炎和生前牙齿缺失很常见。德阿因阿布塔的古病理学特征相似，但 Khan-el-Ahmar 的古病理学特征可以忽略不计。
约旦修道院群体相似的古病理学特征表明，除了宗教精神之外，靠近死海可能吸引了来自两个地方的修道士，但根据骨骼证据，麻风病并不是一个因素。
