Category Archives: death in childbirth

Embryotomy – Fetotomy

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Katharina

If you are squeamish, you may want to skip this blog post. For those of you, who love gruesome stories, here you are: Not too long ago I reported on the origins of the C-section in this blog post. Meanwhile, … Continue reading →

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How many mothers died in childbirth?

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Katharina

An international study recently revealed that a C-section rate of 19 per 100 live births (19%) is correlated with the best outcomes for mothers and children in the modern world. Although I am by no means a supporter of the … Continue reading →

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The gruesome origins of the C-section

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Katharina

For a while now I have been collecting archaeological evidence for pregnant women of the Iron Age, as I proposed to speak on this topic at an Iron Age conference in November. As it turns out, graves of pregnant women … Continue reading →

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Twins

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Katharina

The latest issue of the journal Antiquity published a sad, yet fascinating report of a woman who died whilst giving birth to twins. Found at Lokomotiv in southern Siberia and dated to 7810-7640 cal BP, the woman in grave R11 … Continue reading →

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