Abstract
This paper contributes to the current debate regarding the ethno-cultural identity and origins of the post-Archaic (5th to 4th centuries BCE) population of the town of Satricum by introducing bioarchaeologial data including strontium isotope ratios, strontium concentrations, δ13C and δ18O values of tooth enamel, as well as dental morphological traits. Previous studies suggested a change in the original Latin population of ancient Satricum as a result of migrating groups called the Volscians coming from the eastern mountainous hinterland of Latium. The purportedly relatively short occupation of Satricum (ca. 150 years) by the Volscians during the post-Archaic period increases the chance of identifying the first generation of migrants coming from the mountains. Individuals from three presumable Volscian necropoleis in Satricum are analyzed. Forty-three third molars were sampled for isotope and elemental analyses. All individuals appear to be “local” based on their strontium and oxygen isotope ratios. However, three individuals have statistically lower strontium isotope ratios than the rest, two of which originate from two intersecting graves. These two also have the lowest strontium concentrations, potentially suggesting they are spatially and possibly biologically related. At the group level, the strontium concentration data show a clear difference between the necropoleis. An additional difference is in the dental non-metric trait frequencies, with a biodistance analysis suggesting the necropoleis contain different gene pools (MMD score of 0.789). It is hard to determine if these data suggest (1) a population that experienced fast and marked gene flow between use of the necropoleis, or (2) a population with large, distinct kin groups using different necropoleis. Nonetheless, the data show that the 5th to 4th century BCE was a period of change in Satricum and this work paves the way for future research as we strive to understand the origins and identities of these peoples.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 102285 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-13 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |
| Volume | 31 |
| Early online date | 8 Apr 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2020 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (KNIR), which awarded AS and GvdW with a four-week scholarship in Rome. We are also most grateful for the hospitality of dr. Mauro Rubini and the then Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Lazio , who let AS and GvdW work in the osteological depot in Tivoli. Our thanks are extended to Barge's Anthropologica and UvA-ACASA for rewarding AS and GvdW with a substantial grant to conduct the chemical analyses. Furthermore, thanks are owed to the Department of Earth Sciences lab of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands), G-Time lab (Geochemistry: Tracing by Isotope, Mineral & Element) the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), and AMGC lab (Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry) the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) for their help with the different isotope analyses. AS would like to thank the EOS-project (30999782) for her doctoral scholarship and CS would like to thank the FWO for his postdoctoral fellowship.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| G-Time lab | |
| KNIR | |
| Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome | |
| Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | |
| Vrije Universiteit Brussel | 30999782 |
Keywords
- Dental non-metric traits
- Oxygen
- Post-Archaic Italy
- Strontium