Coalescing traditions-Coalescing people: Community formation in Pannonia after the decline of the Roman Empire.

Corina Knipper,Balázs Gusztáv Mende,István Koncz,Ronny Friedrich,Sandra Kraus,Robin Van Gyseghem,Tivadar Vida,János Gábor Ódor,Zsófia Rácz,Peter F Biehl

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0231760

Abstract

The decline of the Roman rule caused significant political instability and led to the emergence of various ‘Barbarian’ powers. While the names of the involved groups appeared in written sources, it is largely unknown how these changes affected the daily lives of the people during the 5th century AD. Did late Roman traditions persist, did new customs emerge, and did both amalgamate into new cultural expressions? A prime area to investigate these population and settlement historical changes is the Carpathian Basin (Hungary). Particularly, we studied archaeological and anthropological evidence, as well as radiogenic and stable isotope ratios of strontium, carbon, and nitrogen of human remains from 96 graves at the cemetery of Mözs-Icsei dűlő. Integrated data analysis suggests that most members of the founder generation at the site exhibited burial practises of late Antique traditions, even though they were heterogeneous regarding their places of origin and dietary habits. Furthermore, the isotope data disclosed a nonlocal group of people with similar dietary habits. According to the archaeological evidence, they joined the community a few decades after the founder generation and followed mainly foreign traditions with artificial skull modification as their most prominent characteristic. Moreover, individuals with modified skulls and late Antique grave attributes attest to deliberate cultural amalgamation, whereas burials of largely different isotope ratios underline the recipient habitus of the community. The integration of archaeological and bioarchaeological information at the individual level discloses the complex coalescence of people and traditions during the 5th century.

Highlights

The decades before and after the gradual decline of the Roman rule in Pannonia were politically unstable
The cohabitation and later the amalgamation of locals and foreign, non-Roman groups lead to a continuous cultural transformation during the 5th century that affected both
In combination with each other, the strontium and light stable isotope data, artificial skull deformations, burial types, and grave goods reveal several groups of people that formed the multifaceted community of the site and have strong implications for cultural and population changes and amalgamation after the decline of the Roman Empire

Summary

Introduction

The decades before and after the gradual decline of the Roman rule in Pannonia were politically unstable. From the last decades of the 4th century AD onwards, population groups pushed by or fleeing from the Huns arrived continuously to the Carpathian Basin [1, 2]. Part of them settled down and the Roman administration attempted to integrate these groups through feoderati treaties. The cohabitation and later the amalgamation of locals and foreign, non-Roman groups lead to a continuous cultural transformation during the 5th century that affected both. Coalescing traditions – Coalescing people and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Results

Discussion

Conclusion