This study integrates bone collagen stable isotope data (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) from 33 human adult tibiae (15 females; 18 males) and 13 faunal remains from Tomar, while it was under the Military Orders domain (eleventh–seventeenth centuries). Historical literature indicates that the amount of meat consumption amongst Templars was lower than in individuals with similar social status. In Medieval times, these Military Orders had total control of towns and angling and fishing rights, but their influence on the general population diet remains unknown. While no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between sexes, social status, or for bone collagen δ¹³C and δ³⁴Sbetween age groups, δ¹⁵N did differ significantly with age, which may be related to tooth loss in old individuals. Additionally, the human samples have higher stable isotope differences, in comparison with faunal samples, than would be expected within the food web, particularly for δ¹³C. This human bone collagen δ¹³C enrichment may reflect a diet rich in aquatic protein intake, which is also supported by δ³⁴S archived in human and faunal samples, and the presence of oysters and cockles shells at the excavation. The religious diet restrictions might have led to a higher intake of aquatic protein when meat consumption was not allowed.

This study describes foot bone anomalies and the degenerative changes associated with locomotion adaptations. An adult male (approximately 29-46 years old) from Estremoz, Portugal (13th-15th century). The skeletal anomalies observed in this skeleton were described and measurements were compared between both sides of the individual and with the mean of the adult males from the same collection. The most anomalous bones are the right medial cuneiform and metatarsals. Degenerative changes are more severe on the left lower limb and right upper limb. This skeleton represents a unilateral case of talipes varus of the right foot, with the metatarsals being more affected while previously published cases show more severe anomalies of the hindfoot. The degenerative changes observed in the skeleton suggest that both legs and arms, aided by crutches, were used for locomotion. This case shows that club foot skeletal anomalies are variable and the pattern of bony changes throughout the body can reveal locomotion adaptations. The possibility of a genetic cause cannot be assessed due to the absence of paleogenomic data. Since the anomalies found in this case are different than those previously published, we recommend care when analysing foot bones.

One of the periods with the greatest social, cultural, and religious changes was, without a doubt, the European medieval period. The concept of “Family” was one of the fields that gradually evolved, from individuals who shared the same biological lineage, to members of the same “House”. One of the ways to study the concept of “Family” in ancient periods is through a bioarchaeological perspective, where both anthropology and genetics have proven to be essential disciplines for studying “Families”. Through burial rituals, observing whether the graves were single or multiple, as is carried out in the study of human remains, we discuss the profound contribution of anthropology to the “Family” investigation, through mobility studies, the investigation of biological sex, observing certain congenital anomalies or, even, the study of certain ancient infectious diseases. Concerning genetics, the study of bones or teeth allows us to determine whether individuals were from the same close family or if they belonged to the same lineage through the maternal and paternal sides, being one of the only scientific ways of proposing social relationships between individuals, such as that created through adoption.