This document contains the posters related to the exhibition "BeFRAIL | Sê FRÁGIL: Porto in Times of Cholera and War", which is part of the BeFRAIL Research Project. The exhibition was integrated into the official programming for the Jornadas Europeias da Arqueologia 2026 – Arqueologia a Acontecer of the Porto Museus Municipality and was on display at the Reservatório - Museu do Porto (13.06.2026 - 11.07.2026). It remains permanently accessible online via the BeFRAIL website.
The exhibition sets the historical contexts that serve as the basis for the BeFRAIL project, using a transdisciplinary and bioarchaeological approach to human frailty in Porto, Portugal, between 1801 and 1869. This tumultuous historical period was deeply marked by the Napoleonic Invasions, the Siege of Porto, and devastating cholera epidemics.
Using findings recovered from the hospital cemetery of the Venerável Ordem Terceira de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, the project integrates multiple scientific dimensions to reconstruct the lives and memories of past populations, but, above all, it asks us to engage with them. It comprises 9 posters, each addressing various disciplinary areas that have contributed to research within BeFRAIL.
The exhibition also highlights contemporary artistic intersections, featuring the artwork "Portrait of Autopsy" by Anna Suwalowska (poster 8), which explores cultural taboos surrounding death, medical history, and the materiality of the human body.
Contributors & Acknowledgements: All contributors, as well as those supporting the initiative, are named in posters 1 & 9. But we would stress the anonymous contributions of those whose remains we have the privilege of studying and caring for, without whom this work would not be possible. We are also grateful to Anna Suwalowska for her meaningful contribution.
**This exhibition is associated to the BeFRAIL project - Porto in Times of Cholera and War: A Bioarchaeological Approach to Human Frailty - that aims towards a holistic transdisciplinary approach to human frailty in the past via the assessment of an archaeological site related to the 3rd Order of Our Lady of Carmo in Porto (Portugal), in use between 1801 to 1869: years of cholera and war. Details of the project may be found at the BeFRAIL website.
Disclaimer: Please do not decontextualise the images of the human remains. They were undertaken as part of scientific research. If you choose to use them for scientific purposes or as a teaching aid, please bare in mind that they are licensed with a Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
If you have concerns, you may reach the BeFRAIL project principal investigator at [email protected].
Publication Date: 2026-06-19