Alghero 385
for the broader Mediterranean context in the late sixteenth century. Since the
plague claims lives in an arbitrary manner, the evidence gathered from this
representative cross-section of the population divulges much information
about the ethnic make-up of a Mediterranean, Catalan port.73 Tests have also
positively identified the virus—Yersinia pestis—that took the lives of those
buried in San Michele’s mass graves.74
The excavation of the plague cemetery in Alghero has also made it possi-
ble to document convincing indices of family ties among the buried, such as
adults (probably parents), who wrap their arms around to embrace infants or
small children, most likely their offspring. Very young children (ages 1–3) were
often laid to rest between the legs of a person who was probably their parent
(Fig. 14.10). In a few cases, it seems possible to identify entire family groups
through the presence of parents with up to four related children of various
ages, and in one particular case, of a mother embracing two children.
et Sociétés. Actes du colloque international ICEPID 4, Marseille, 23–26 juillet 2001, eds
M. Signoli, D. Chevé, P. Adalian, G. Boetsch, and O. Dutour (Florence, 2001), p. 116.
73 Signoli et al., “Découverte d’un cimetière de pestiférés.”
74 Dr. Raffaella Bianucci from the University of Turin is to thank for this data, which was
drawn from a sample of five separate individuals buried in Phase 4.
Figure 14.10
San Michele Cemetery. Plague family burials.