Mississippi State University anthropologist Anna Osterholtz added to a research study in Cell, supplying essential information from ancient Roman burial websites. The research study, including a multidisciplinary group, examined genomic information from the Balkan area, revealing substantial group shifts and the increase of Slavic- speaking populations throughout the Migration Period.
A brand-new research study exposes significant group modifications in the Balkan area throughout the very first centuries, consisting of the migration of Slavic- speaking populations after the fall of the Roman Empire.
A Mississippi State University (MSU) anthropologist’s bioarchaeological analysis and bone samples from ancient Roman burial websites were essential in the advancement of brand-new research study relating to Roman and Balkan migration included just recently in Cell, a distinguished peer-reviewed journal.
Collaborative Efforts in Archaeological Research
Anna Osterholtz, an associate teacher in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, supplied her research study on the “lived experiences” of the Romans inCroatia She presently works carefully with museum personnel at the Town Museum of Trogir and the Institute for Anthropological Research, both in Croatia.
The historical site of the Viminacium amphitheater, an ancient Roman necropolis situated in contemporary Serbia, was utilized to rebuild the genomic history of the Balkan throughout the Roman migration of the very first centuries. Credit: Carles Lalueza-Fox
The multidisciplinary rebuilded the genomic history of the Balkan Peninsula throughout the very first centuries of the typical age, a time and location of group, cultural, and linguistic modification. It was led by the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain, a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council and Pompeu Fabra University, together with research study from the University of Belgrade in Serbia, the University of Western Ontario in Canada, Harvard University, and MSU.
AnnaOsterholtz Credit: MSU
Insights into Ancient Migration and Cultural Shifts
The group recuperated and examined entire genome information from 146 ancient individuals excavated mostly from Serbia and Croatia– more than a 3rd of which originated from the Roman military frontier at the huge historical site of Viminacium in Serbia– which they co-analyzed with information from the remainder of the Balkans and neighboring areas. The research study highlights the cosmopolitanism of the Roman frontier and the long-lasting effects of migrations that accompanied the breakdown of Roman control, consisting of the arrival of individuals speaking Slavic languages.
“Essentially, the study showed that there was an influx of individuals who moved into the Balkan region that are genetically similar to modern Slavic-speaking populations. It represents one of the largest demographic changes in Europe during what is known as the Migration Period. It’s a time frame where local identity was forming in the vacuum created by the dissolution of the Roman empire,” Osterholtz stated.
“This study gives us a clue about how these communities were formed during the Migration Period. My own research examines how this is reflected in funerary practices and in changes in health,” Osterholtz stated.
For more on this research study:
Reference: “A genetic history of the Balkans from Roman frontier to Slavic migrations” by Iñigo Olalde, Pablo Carri ón, Ilija Miki ć, Nadin Rohland, Swapan Mallick, Iosif Lazaridis, Matthew Mah, Miomir Kora ć, Sne žana Golubovi ć, Sofija Petkovi ć, Nata ša Miladinovi ć-Radmilovi ć, Dragana Vulovi ć, Timka Alihod žić, Abigail Ash, Miriam Baeta, Juraj Bart ík, Željka Bedi ć, Maja Bili ć, Clive Bonsall, Maja Bun čić, Domagoj Bu žanić, Mario Cari ć, Lea Čataj, Mirna Cvetko, Ivan Drni ć, Anita Dugonji ć, Ana Đukić, Ksenija Đukić, Zden ěk Farka š, Pavol Jel ínek, Marija Jovanovic, Iva Kai ć, Hrvoje Kalafati ć, Marijana Krmpoti ć, Sini ša Krznar, Tino Lelekovi ć, Marian M. de Pancorbo, Vinka Matijevi ć, Branka Milo šević Zaki ć, Anna J. Osterholtz, Julianne M. Paige, Dinko Tresi ć Pavi čić, Zrinka Premu žić, Petra Raji ć Šikanjić, Anita Rapan Pape ša, Lujana Paraman, Mirjana Sanader, Ivana Radovanovi ć, Mirjana Roksandic, Alena Šefčáková, Sofia Stefanovi ć, Maria Teschler-Nicola, Domagoj Ton činić, Brina Zagorc, Kim Callan, Francesca Candilio, Olivia Cheronet, Daniel Fernandes, Aisling Kearns, Ann Marie Lawson, Kirsten Mandl, Anna Wagner, Fatma Zalzala, Anna Zettl, Željko Tomanovi ć, Du šan Keckarevi ć, Mario Novak, Kyle Harper, Michael McCormick, Ron Pinhasi, Miodrag Grbi ć, Carles Lalueza-Fox and David Reich, 7 December 2023, Cell
DOI: 10.1016/ j.cell.202310018
