HAVE you ever wondered how many people have trodden the streets of Winchester since the beginning of Roman times? Who were they? Were they fit and healthy? Tall or short?

A new volume traces the lives, health and diseases of Winchester's inhabitants between the mid-third century AD and the mid-16th century.

The research indicates that the Germanic peoples who arrived after the Romans left in the fifth century were taller than the Romano-Britons.

Their greater size and strength could explain the ease of their conquest.

The book is thought to be unique in that it provides a continuous chronological window on Winchester folk over 1,300 years rather than being a series of isolated studies such as has been done on York and London.

The information has been collected over the last fifty years from some 3,000 skeletons excavated from the Roman cemetery at Lankhills and the Anglo-Saxon and medieval cemeteries of the Old and New Minsters and Winchester Cathedral, as well as other Anglo-Saxon sites in neighbouring areas of Hampshire.

The study is notable for the large sample of Anglo-Saxon burials in the fifth-seventh centuries, providing a bridge between Romano-British material and later medieval samples.

It shows that there was an underlying continuity in the population in spite of the massive culture change between Roman and early Saxon periods. The bones also show, interestingly, the gradual arrival and integration of tall Anglo-Saxon males between the 5th and 7th century.

The editor of the book, Dr Caroline Stuckert, was able to isolate a small, mostly male group, that was statistically different and whose numbers increased through time. Archaeological evidence from the sites suggest that these represent Germanic peoples.

Also of interest were significant differences noted in disease patterns and trauma. Leprosy is found only in post-Roman skeletons and decapitations only in Roman skeletons. Weapon injuries are confined to Anglo-Saxon and medieval individuals although broken bones were common during the Roman period.

The volume which, like its forerunners, adds immensely to knowledge of Winchester and its inhabitants, was launched at a reception in Winchester Guildhall.

Prof Martin Biddle, director of the Winchester Research Unit, and the leading archaeologist at most of the excavations, attended the launch. Dr Caroline Stuckert travelled from her home in the USA to be there.

The evening was well attended by nearly 80 people, including many friends of Winchester Studies, archaeologists.and dignitaries from Hampshire County Council, Winchester City Council, Hampshire Cultural Trust and Winchesters Mayor, Cllr Jane Rutter (a great supporter of Winchester Excavations Committee). Local MP Steve Brine was also present and gave the vote of thanks to Dr Stuckert.

Prof Biddle and Dr Stuckert originally met in the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1974 when she was looking for a research project.

They initially chose the pagan Early Saxon burials in cemeteries in the countryside around Winchester. These people were early arrivals around 500 AD and they were later Christianised.

Dr Stuckert came to to live in Winchester in 1976 with her two sons who were educated locally in the city. The bones from Lankhills Roman cemetery were stored in a thousand boxes labelled variously with Roman numerals and Greek suffixes and her first task was to get them changed into Arabic numerals notation with the aid of her young sons.

The boxes were stored in what was the old West Wing of the Guildhall which had been damaged by fire and was the haunt of many pigeons who were entering via holes in the roof. Dr Stuckert was down there on her own one evening when she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Enter a man with a very large rifle...when she asked him what his business was, he said that he had come to shoot pigeon! Not today she said.

The follow-up work expanded with the data from the excavations of the Roman cemetery at Lankhills in the city and the Anglo-Saxon and medieval cemeteries around the cathedral.

Six years ago she was asked by Prof Biddle to edit the whole book, helped by Theya Molleson from the Natural History Museum.