Vana Kalenderian

Preliminary abstract: Contemporary global circumstances have reignited debates on coexistence, integration and assimilation. Long-term social and cultural consequences of migrations on host communities are now widely discussed, as are the causes instigating these movements. Throughout history human mobility has played a great role in reshaping and restructuring societies, and it is by assessing a broad range of phenomena related to migrations that current situations are better understood, handled and resolved. The Roman Empire is one of the best examples from antiquity by which to analyze the effects of population movement and intercultural contact. This research project presents the case study of the first Roman colony in the Near East, the colony of Berytus (modern day Beirut, Lebanon). It adopts a multifaceted approach to the study of mortuary practices to examine the sociocultural changes brought about by the colonization of the city, and to understand how the influx of foreign settlers influenced the local population as well as their perceptions of identity and sense of belongingness in the broader context of the Roman Empire. The combination of scientific methods involving osteological and isotopic analyses, within a framework of archaeological and anthropological theory will result in a holistic assessment that will contribute greatly to our understanding of the consequences of forced annexation and cultural interaction.