Kristina Killgrove

All Roads Lead to Rome: Exploring Human Migration to the Eternal City through Biochemistry of Skeletons from Two Imperial-Era Cemeteries (1st-3rd c AD)

Migration within the Roman Empire occurred at multiple scales and was engaged in both voluntarily and involuntarily. Because of the lengthy tradition of classical studies, bioarchaeological analyses must be fully contextualized within the bounds of history, material culture, and epigraphy. In order to assess migration to Rome within an updated contextual framework, strontium isotope analysis was performed on 105 individuals from two cemeteries associated with Imperial Rome—Casal Bertone and Castellaccio Europarco—and oxygen and carbon isotope analyses were performed on a subset of 55 individuals. Statistical analysis and comparisons with expected local ranges found several outliers who likely immigrated to Rome from elsewhere. Demographics of the immigrants show men and children migrated, and a comparison of carbon isotopes from teeth and bone samples suggests the immigrants may have significantly changed their diet. These data represent the first physical evidence of individual migrants to Imperial Rome. This case study demonstrates the importance of employing bioarchaeology to generate a deeper understanding of a complex ancient urban center.

Bioarchaeology in the Roman Empire

techniques. Although the field of Environmental Magnetism has continued its rapid development, archaeological applications over the past decade have tended to focus on field applications of susceptibility. There is thus much potential for expanded use of the entire range of magnetic techniques to answer questions relating to past climates, dating, formation, and postdepositional processes central to understanding the relationship of humans to their environment.Pacific cultural heritage research has taken an active role in reshaping notions of cultural significance that has been recognized by UNESCO. Acknowledging the importance of associative cultural landscapes, first applied to the Tongariro National Park, New Zealand, in 1993 and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Australia, in 1994, culminated in the 2008 inscription of the “Chief Roi Mata’sDomain,” Vanuatu, into the World Heritage List(UNESCO2010). These advances in Pacific cultural heritage research do not hide the fact that IndependentPacific Island Nations (referred to here as IPIN)are underrepresented on the World Heritage List.The uneven distribution of World Heritage sites globally is exemplified by the presence of only 13 sites in the wider Pacific area and only five sites nominated by IPIN. Below is a list of World Heritage properties located on Pacific Islands(standing 2011).