Biological histories of an elite: Skeletons from the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral (NW Spain) López Costas, Olalla Müldner, Gundula Lidén, Kerstin Apatite Cathedral documents Clergyman Collagen DISH Direccion Xeral de Patrimonio Historico de Galicia; Xunta de Galicia, Grant/Award Numbers: ED431B 2018/20, ED 431D2017/08, ED481D 2017/014; Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and Beca Leonardo a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2020 de la Fundacion BBVA, Grant/Award Number: PID2019-111683RJ-I00 This study aims to reconstruct the biological histories of the people buried at the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral, an important religious center of NW Spain, by using anthropological, geochemical, and historical perspectives. We conducted a macroscopic and radiographic study on 955 skeletal elements, a multi-isotope (δ13Ccol, δ15N, δ34Scol, δ13Cap, δ18Oap) analysis of human (n = 12) and animal (n = 4) samples, and the study of 1407 documents from the cathedral archives. There was a minimum of 15 individuals, including six subadults (<7 years), seven mature males, and one possible female. Several traumatic healed injuries, a pelvis osteochondroma, and a case of DISH have been detected. Males were enriched in 15N (up to 15.7‰, Δhumananimal avg = 5.1‰) suggesting consumption of animal protein including freshwater fish. Cathedral documents reflect fora payments in the form of rye, eggs, poultry, sheep, pigs, and eels as well as the hiring of two physicians. All individuals, except one, lived between the 14th and the early 15th centuries and show characteristics of high standard of living. Males were likely members of the cathedral—chaplains, administrators, sacristans, but not bishops—or noblemen relatives of the former according to preserved documents. Isotopic and paleopathological study suggest that they had an active and traveling life and at least one of them had connections with Central Spain. Children were local and possibly connected to the nobility. Lugo Cathedral is a prime example about the possibilities of transdisciplinary research in the identification of lifestyle in past populations. 2021-07-08T07:34:48Z 2021-07-08T07:34:48Z 2021-06-03 journal article López-Costas, O., Müldner, G., & Lidén, K. (2021). Biological histories of an elite: Skeletons from the Royal Chapel of Lugo Cathedral (NW Spain). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 1– 16. [https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3011] http://hdl.handle.net/10481/69600 10.1002/oa.3011 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/es/ open access Atribución-NoComercial 3.0 España John Wiley & Sons