The rise and fall of the Roman Empire was a socio-political process with enormous ramifications for human history. The Middle Danube was a crucial frontier and a crossroads for population and ...cultural movement. Here, we present genome-wide data from 136 Balkan individuals dated to the 1st millennium CE. Despite extensive militarization and cultural influence, we find little ancestry contribution from peoples of Italic descent. However, we trace a large-scale influx of people of Anatolian ancestry during the Imperial period. Between ∼250 and 550 CE, we detect migrants with ancestry from Central/Northern Europe and the Steppe, confirming that “barbarian” migrations were propelled by ethnically diverse confederations. Following the end of Roman control, we detect the large-scale arrival of individuals who were genetically similar to modern Eastern European Slavic-speaking populations, who contributed 30%–60% of the ancestry of Balkan people, representing one of the largest permanent demographic changes anywhere in Europe during the Migration Period.
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•A frontier region of ancient Rome was as cosmopolitan as the imperial center•Genetic proof that migrants identified as Goths were ethnically diverse confederations•Slavic-speaking migrants account for 30%–60% of the ancestry of Balkan peoples today•A model for integrating archaeology with genetics
Genome-wide data from 146 ancient Balkan individuals dating to the 1st millennium CE, together with detailed archaeological information, reveals internal migratory patterns during the Roman Empire and documents the demographic impact of Early Medieval Slavic migrations that significantly contributed to the present-day Balkan gene pool.
Orešac (Bolentio) is situated near Suhopolje in the Virovitica‒Podravina County. Based on the various finds, the site is dated between the 1st and 4th centuries. Archaeological excavations are ...conducted since the 80s of the 20th century, however the skeletal material studied in this paper derive from the excavations carried in the 1997 by the
Institute of Archaeology under the guide of T. Sekelj Ivančan. For the purpose of the analysis the following pathologies were observed: cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia, non specific periostitis, caries, alveolar pathologies, Schmorl’s nodes, osteoarthritis on vertebrae and joints, benign cortical defects and estimation of height. Relatively low frequencies of the biological and physical stress recorded among the
analysed individuals suggest better quality of life in comparison to other late antique populations. Since the obtained results refer only to a small part of the excavated cemetery, further excavations and anthropological analyses are needed in order to supplement the existing knowledge and receive new information about the population that lived in the area of today’s Orešac.
Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that populations differ from each other in size and proportion, and that these differences can affect metric assessment of sex. This paper establishes ...standards for determining sex from fragmentary and complete tibiae in the modern Croatian population. Measurements were taken on 180 tibiae (109 male and 71 female) from positively identified victims of the 1991–1995 War in Croatia. Six standard dimensions: length of the tibia (CML), maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia (MPEB), maximum epiphyseal breadth of the distal tibia (MDEB), maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (MDNF), transverse diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (TDNF), and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen (CNF), were taken and subjected to different discriminant function analyses. The highest level of accuracy (91.1%) in the analyzed data set was achieved employing the variables: maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia, maximum epiphyseal breadth of the distal tibia, maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, transverse diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen. The second highest level of accuracy (90.6%) was achieved using a combination of only three variables: maximum epiphyseal breadth of the proximal tibia, maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen, and circumference of the tibia at the nutrient foramen. The lowest accuracy (84.4%) was obtained when only one variable (maximum diameter of the tibia at the nutrient foramen) was employed. The results of this study show that the modern Croatian tibia is a good skeletal component for determining sex. Standardized coefficients of the discriminant functions generated in this study support the results of previous studies that found that breadth dimensions provide better separation of the sexes than length.
Bioarchaeological investigations of indicators of subadult stress, oral health, physical stress and trauma were conducted on the skeletal material from the kuća Andrić and Hrvojeva ulica sites, late ...antique cemeteries situated in the Diocletian Palace in Split. These indicators include several pathological conditions: cribra orbitalia, dental enamel hypoplasia, non-specific periostitis, caries,
alveolar abscess, antemortem tooth loss, vertebral and joint osteoarthritis, Schmorl’s nodes and traumas. The sample includes 33 skeletons from 17 graves – 12 adults and 21 subadults. Results indicate a higher ratio of subadults in the sample, relatively low frequencies of indicators of subadult stress, caries, and trauma and a higher frequency of alveolar bone disease and Schmorl’s nodes, especially in males. In comparison to other late antique samples from the eastern Adriatic coast, the sample from the kuća Andrić and Hrvojeva ulica shows similar or even better-living conditions in some aspects.
Iz sakristije crkve Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije u Gori analizirano je 50 kostura koji se datiraju od samoga početka XI. pa sve do kraja XVI. ili početka XVII. stoljeća te su kronološki ...podijeljeni u četiri faze ukopavanja. U svim je fazama kod žena uočena visoka prosječna doživljena starost te je, osim u prvoj fazi, primjetna njihova podzastupljenost u odnosu na muškarce. Najveći mortalitet djece zabilježen je između 2. i 8. godine života kada je fiziološki stres najveći. Pokazatelji subadultnog stresa zabilježeni su u svim fazama te ukazuju na loše životne uvjete i neadekvatnu prehranu. Na to upućuju i slučajevi skorbuta zabilježeni i u prvoj i u drugoj fazi te pojava zaraznih bolesti u prvoj (lepre) i četvrtoj fazi (tuberkuloze). S druge strane, u gorskom je uzorku zabilježena niska učestalost trauma, a većina prisutnih odnosi se na slučajne ozljede. Ipak, o prisutnosti namjernoga nasilja govori perimortalna trauma kod djeteta iz prve faze te antemortalna trauma na nosnim kostima žene iz četvrte faze. Na relativno malome uzorku iz sakristije zabilježen je iznenađujuće velik broj patoloških promjena, visoka učestalost indikatora subadultnog stresa i prisutnost namjernoga nasilja, što ukazuje na nepovoljne životne uvjete na ovome prostoru u svim razmatranim fazama.
The analysis comprised of 50 skeletons from the sacristy of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gora, buried from the beginning of the 11th century until the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century and chronologically divided into four burial phases. In all phases, a high average age at death was observed in females, who are noticeably underrepresented in all the phases except the first. The highest mortality of subadults was recorded between 2 and 8 years of age, when physiological stress is greatest. Indicators of subadult stress have been recorded in all phases, suggesting poor living conditions and inadequate diet. This is further indicated by the cases of scurvy in the first and second phases as well as infectious diseases in the first (leprosy) and fourth (tuberculosis) phases. On the other hand, the Gora sample generally had a low frequency of traumas, most of them related to accidental injuries. However, the presence of intentional violence is indicated by a perimortem trauma in a subadult from the first phase and an antemortem trauma on the nasal bones of a female from the fourth phase. The relatively small sample had a surprisingly large number of pathological changes, a high frequency of subadult stress indicators, and the presence of intentional violence; indicating unfavourable living conditions in this area in all the considered phases.
The paper provides a detailed overview of new radiocarbon dates, stable isotopes, and anthropological information obtained on prehistoric human remains (mostly Neolithic) from the Balkans and ...southwestern Carpathian Basin. It covers a large chronological sequence from the Mesolithic to the Bronze Age (9746–2628 cal BC), which encompasses different archaeological cultures. In total 76 radiocarbon dates deriving from 27 sites were obtained, coupled with new isotopic (n=34) and anthropological (n=33) data. The results filled the gaps in some of the older interpretations, but also produced new insights regarding chronology, health, and diet, leaving a strong baseline for all future research into Neolithic lifestyles.
Arheološka istraživanja crkve Uznesenja Blažene Djevice Marije provedena su radi potreba njene potpune obnove. Tim povodom istražen je i prostor njene sakristije na kojem su utvrđena 53 groba. Riječ ...je o prostorno zaokruženoj cjelini na kojoj je jasno utvrdiv stratigrafski slijed omogućio analizu kronoloških odnosa i njihovu vezu s pojedinim obilježjima istraženih grobnih cjelina. Ponajprije je riječ orijentaciji grobova i položaju ruku pokojnika, zatim prisutnosti čavala, kamenih obloga ili tek ponekog kamena uz pokojnika. Na tim je temeljima, te uz analizu prisutnog pokretnog arheološkog materijala, omogućeno definiranje četiri faze ukopavanja grobova. Usporedbom s rezultatima provedenih radiokarbonskih analiza na uzorcima kostiju pokojnika iz odabranih grobova, pobliže je definiran raspon trajanja pojedinih faza ukopavanja. Podaci dobiveni tim postupkom stavljeni su u širi povijesni kontekst što je omogućilo razmatranje odnosa pojedinih faza ukopavanja prema određenim graditeljskim fazama utvrđenima na nalazištu i specifičnim povijesnim okolnostima u kojima su se te aktivnosti odvijale.
The archaeological excavation of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was prompted by the need for the complete restoration of the church. On that occasion, the area of the sacristy with 53 graves was excavated as well. This area is spatially separated from the rest of the church and has a readily identifiable stratigraphic sequence that enabled the analysis of chronological relationships and their connection to certain characteristics of excavated grave units. Primarily, those characteristics are the orientation of graves, the arm positions of the deceased individuals, the presence of nails, stone linings, or several stones next to the deceased individual. That, alongside the analysis of the discovered archaeological artefacts, enabled the determination of four burial phases. By comparison to the results of the radiocarbon dating conducted on samples of the deceased individuals’ bones the duration of certain burial phases was ascertained. The data acquired this way was put in a wider chronological context, which enabled considerations on the relationships of burial phases in relation to construction phases ascertained at the site and specific historical circumstances in which those activities took place.
Trauma analysis was performed on skeletal material from the Benedictine Monastery of St Margaret in Bijela, Croatia. The material consists of 26 skeletons (19 males, three females and four subadults) ...recovered from six archaeological excavation campaigns. A high number of traumas, particularly perimortem injuries were recorded in the sample. A total of 56 traumas in 17 adults are recorded, 35 of which are perimortem. Based on this, as well as on the presence of antemortem sharp edged wounds and the predominance of craniofacial injuries it is suggested that the population buried in the monastic church was subject to high levels of intentional violence. The results are compared to two other monastic cemeteries from the same geographical and historical context, as well as two sites with high frequencies of perimortem trauma. A possible explanation for interring victims of homicide inside the monastery church is discussed in the paper.
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