Eugenia D’Atanasio

The period from the 5th to the 8th century CE, also referred to as Late Antiquity, was marked by political instability, socio-economic changes and large-scale migrations across the former Western Roman Empire, including the Italian peninsula. To assess the genetic and social impact of these events on the Italian population, we aim to perform an archaeogenetics and mobility analysis on a total of 37 individuals from three Late Antique sites in the modern Marche region in central Italy: Fossombrone (20 individuals), Castel Trosino (10 individuals) and a re-analysis of Pesaro (7 individuals), already genetically sequenced (Ravasini et al., 2024). Fossombrone and Pesaro represent the funerary areas of two main centers of the Exarchate of Ravenna, under the formal rule of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. On the other hand, Castel Trosino was part of the Longobard Duchy of Spoleto and was located at the boundary between Longobard and Byzantine territories. All sites occupied strategic positions in their territory and witnessed several peaceful and belligerent interactions among Romans/Byzantines, Goths and Longobards during the Late Antiquity, representing excellent samples for exploring population dynamics and individual-level stories through molecular anthropology.