Imperial Roman mobility and migration at Velia (1st to 2nd c. CE) in southern Italy. (April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stark, Robert J.; Emery, Matthew V.; Schwarcz, Henry; Sperduti, Alessandra; Bondioli, Luca; Craig, Oliver E.; Prowse, Tracy
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 30(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-04
• Subjects: Oxygen and strontium isotopes -- Italian peninsula -- Imperial Rome -- Mediterranean -- Migration and mobility; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102217
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Highlights: δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr were used to assess mobility at Imperial Roman Velia. Bagplot analysis of δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values identified two individuals as non-local. Mobility at Velia appears relatively local. Areas of isotopic homogeneity may obscure regional origins and cases of mobility. Velia provides insight to mobility in Imperial Roman southern Italian contexts. Abstract: Mobility and human migration are seen as hallmarks of Roman society. With increasing territorial expansion throughout the Mediterranean region during the Imperial Roman period, wider opportunities for both self-driven and forced mobility became possible. This study analyzes δ 18 O and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values from the dental enamel of 20 human second molars (M2) to examine for potential instances of mobility at the 1st to 2nd c. CE site of Velia, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy. Velia served as a secondary port and was utilized for the shipment of goods, boat maintenance, fish processing and arboriculture. Bagplot analysis indicates that at least 10% (n = 2/20) of the individuals sampled immigrated to Velia from non-local regions. The remaining 18 individuals show mixed signs of local residency and local mobility. Comparison of the Velia data with the contemporaneous southern Italian Imperial Roman (1st to 4th c. CE) site of Vagnari indicates a similar level of mobility to both sites. Though mobility is clearly evident among the individuals sampled from Velia, mobility to Velia appears to have been less common than to larger cosmopolitan sites, such as Portus, in proximity to the capital at Rome.