Martial Practices and Warrior Burials: Humeral Asymmetry and Grave Goods in Iron Age Male Inhumations from Central Italy

Abstract

In this chapter we employ a multidisciplinary approach to the study of Iron Age Samnite ‘warrior burials’ from central Italy. Building upon previous studies, which suggested that high humeral asymmetry in mechanical strength can be used as a proxy for weapon training from adolescence, we analysed the degree and laterality of asymmetry in 216 male burials, as well as the typology and layout of weapons in 153 burials from the overall sample. The relationship between martial paraphernalia in graves and the participation of the deceased in martial activities, as inferred from biomechanical analysis, has provided valuable insights into the military practices of Iron Age communities and their social significance. The research has revealed that the weapons may have been placed in the graves of individuals that did not undertake intensive military training during their lives. This suggests that they may have been used to signal social affiliation in funerals rather than actual participation of the deceased in martial practices. However, the presence and distribution of ‘prestige weapons’ in the burial sample seems to indicate a highly ‘war prowess-oriented’ society, in which status and wealth were acquired through the practice and display of fighting skills. Furthermore, the scarcity of highly asymmetric, left-handed individuals from the sample suggests that training of the right arm was systematically favoured. This is an extremely interesting result, which suggests that early Samnite armies may not have consisted of loose ranks as previously believed.