Ritorno a Castelseprio La ripresa delle indagini nel castrum e nel borgo

This report summarizes the activities and results of the archaeological investigations conducted by the Catholic University of Milan in Castelseprio (Varese) in 2016 and planned activities for 2017. An excavation was carried out in the medieval house in the south-western sector of the castle and two different phases of occupation have been documented. A sample excavation identified the underlying stratigraphy, allowing to retrieve data and finds from late ancient and early medieval settlement. A survey around the church of Santa Maria foris portas recognized some ancient accumulations, which proved to be collapsed walls of medieval buildings. These finds are the first traces of the "village" outside the castle and in the vicinity of the small church, well known for its important paintings

Dal Mediterraneo al Mar Rosso: la cristianizzazione della città-porto di Adulis e la diffusione di modelli e manufatti bizantini

Until late Antiquity the Red Sea represented a commercial artery of extraordinary importance, linking the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. In connection with the early spread of Christianity, recent studies have emphasized the role played by foreign communities of Christian merchants settled in the city-ports, as a precedent to the official adoption of the Christian faith. In Adulis (Eritrea), the main port city of the kingdom of Aksum, since 2011 an Italian-Eritrean mission is bringing to light two early Christian churches, one of which from the second half of the 4th century. The article aims to present the recent excavation data, evaluating the possible models and areas of influence in the plans; also, liturgical furnishing in proconnesian marble and gold crosses with Greek inscriptions represent significant markers of valuable products from the Byzantine Empire circulating wide-ranging by the sea

Survival to amputation in pre-antibiotic era: a case study from a Longobard necropolis (6th-8th centuries AD)

The Longobard necropolis of Povegliano Veronese dates from the 6th to the 8th centuries AD. Among the 164 tombs excavated, the skeleton of an older male shows a well-healed amputated right forearm. The orientation of the forearm fracture suggests an angled cut by a single blow. Reasons why a forearm might be amputated include combat, medical intervention, and judicial punishment. As with other amputation cases reported in literature, this one exhibits both healing and osteoblastic response. We argue that the forelimb stump morphology suggests the use of a prosthesis. Moreover, dental modification of RI2 shows considerable wear and smoothing of the occlusal surface, which points to dental use in attaching the prosthesis to the limb. Other indications of how this individual adjusted to his amputated condition includes a slight change in the orientation of the right glenoid fossa surface, and thinning of right humeral cortical bone. This is a remarkable example in which an older male survived the loss of a forelimb in pre-antibiotic era. We link archaeological remains found in the tomb (buckle and knife) with the biological evidence to show how a combined bioarchaeological approach can provide a clearer interpretation of the life history of an individual

Strontium and oxygen isotopes as indicators of Longobards mobility in Italy. An investigation at Povegliano Veronese

The arrival of the Longobards in Northern Italy in 568 CE marked a period of renewed political stability in the peninsula after the collapse of the Western Roman empire. the trajectory of the spread of Longobards in Italy across the Alps and into the South is known from many literary sources. However, their mobility and residence patterns at a population level remain to be fully understood. Here we present a multi-isotopic analysis (87Sr/86Sr and 18o/16O) of 39 humans and 14 animals buried at the Longobard necropolis of Povegliano Veronese (VR, Italy; 6th—8th century CE), to address mode and tempo of the spread of this population in the peninsula. the geographical location of povegliano Veronese plays a key role: the site lies along the Via Postumia, which was one of the main ancient Roman roads of Northern Italy, representing an important route in post-classical Italy. The integration of isotopic data with the archaeological evidence allowed us to determine the presence of individuals from at least three different regions of origin, building a diachronic map of the dynamics of mobility of this group in northern Italy

Stabbed to death. An osteobiography example of violence among Longobards (Povegliano Veronese, Italy, 6th-8th c CE)

Here we report the reconstruction of the osteobiography of an adult male buried in the Longobard cemetery of Povegliano Veronese (Northern Italy, late 6th – early 8th century CE), who shows signs of interpersonal violence. The palaeopathological investigation reveals sharp force traumas on the body of the fourth lumbar vertebra and on two right ribs. The absence of signs of healing or bone remodelling indicates that the defects were perimortem. The injuries probably afected vital organs, leading to death. Further macroscopic observations of the skeleton suggest horseback-riding activity. Strontium isotope data from tooth enamel indicate a non-local origin of the individual. X ray and CT scan acquisition and Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses were performed to investigate the bone defects. His osteobiography was interpreted and contextualised in the complex socio-political scenario of post classical Italy. The results document that he spent his childhood outside the Povegliano Veronese area, that during his life he was likely a horseback rider active in battle, but that his violent death did not happen during warfare/battle. This multi-layered approach, supported by archaeological information, osteological investigation, biomolecular analysis, and virtual imagery, allowed for the extensive reconstruction of an individual's life history

Fine-scale sampling uncovers the complexity of migrations in 5th–6th century Pannonia

As the collapse of the Western Roman Empire accelerated during the 4th and 5th centuries, arriving "barbarian" groups began to establish new communities in the border provinces of the declining (and eventually former) empire. This was a time of significant cultural and political change throughout not only these border regions but Europe as a whole.1,2 To better understand post-Roman community formation in one of these key frontier zones after the collapse of the Hunnic movement, we generated new paleogenomic data for a set of 38 burials from a time series of three 5th century cemeteries3,4,5 at Lake Balaton, Hungary. We utilized a comprehensive sampling approach to characterize these cemeteries along with data from 38 additional burials from a previously published mid-6th century site6 and analyzed them alongside data from over 550 penecontemporaneous individuals.7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 The range of genetic diversity in all four of these local burial communities is extensive and wider ranging than penecontemporaneous Europeans sequenced to date. Despite many commonalities in burial customs and demography, we find that there were substantial differences in genetic ancestry between the sites. We detect evidence of northern European gene flow into the Lake Balaton region. Additionally, we observe a statistically significant association between dress artifacts and genetic ancestry among 5th century genetically female burials. Our analysis shows that the formation of early Medieval communities was a multifarious process even at a local level, consisting of genetically heterogeneous groups

Temi e metodi dell'archeologia funeraria longobarda in Italia

ITALIANO: Molti temi inerenti l’Età delle Migrazioni (origine, mobilità, etnicità e composizione dei gruppi germanici) sono stati sottoposti a radicale revisione critica. Nuovi estesi ritrovamenti effettuati in modo rigoroso possono fornire nuovi elementi, utili alla migliore conoscenza della presenza longobarda in Italia quanto a entità, struttura sociale e stadio culturale delle comunità e quanto a distribuzione e natura dei loro insediamenti; inoltre, si prestano a essere approfonditi tramite un approccio multidisciplinare e nuove e sofisticate analisi di laboratorio. Il contributo vuole tratteggiare un quadro esemplificativo della qualità e potenzialità della più recente documentazione archeologica disponibile attraverso una selezione di siti e aspetti tematici, utili a futuri approfondimenti. / ENGLISH: Many themes regarding the Migration Period (the origins, movements, ethnicity and composition of Germanic groups) have been subjected to radical critical revision. Extensive recent discoveries recorded using rigorous methods have furnished new data which has improved our understanding of the Longobard presence in Italy, with regard to the size, social structure and cultural stage of communities and the distribution and nature of their settlements. These have also been studied using multidisciplinary approaches and up-to-date, sophisticated laboratory analyses. This paper gives an example of the quality and potential of the latest archaeological documentation from a selection of sites with regard to certain themes, which will be developed in future studies

I Longobardi e le città: forme materiali e scelte culturali

The paper aims at reconsidering the issue of the relationship that the Lombards in Italy had with the city, examining the most significant material evidence (archaeological, epigraphic, sculptural), especially in light of the most recent archaeological discoveries, including housing evidence. The aim is to reflect on the topographic choices and the types of settlements that connoted the foreign-born groups in dukedoms, their social physiognomy, their stage of cultural evolution and the processes of transformation (such as the Christianization or the reference to the ideology of power of Roman tradition) that occurred in urban areas during the two centuries of their presence in the Peninsula